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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Even after being criticized for its violent onstage antics, German industrial-metal band Rammstein has managed to ignore the criticism and put together its third studio album, Mutter. \nMutter solidifies Rammstein's place as a legitimate force in the world of industrial metal. The opening track, "Mein Herz Brennt" (My Heart Burns), begins with orchestrated strings melded into singer Till Lindeman's whispers, but guitars and bass take over in a galloping beat worthy of the dance floor. \nLindeman's deep voice fills with emotion as he sings (but doesn't scream) the song's chorus, creating a dramatic feel. This is a clear departure from 1998's guitar-driven onslaught Sehnsucht.\nFamous for its fire-filled live show and spurred by the unlikely success of "Du Hasst," Rammstein managed success as Sehnsucht went gold in the United States alone. \nOn Mutter, the band's guitarists continue to play fluently, often creating pulsating rhythms at points and leaving the drums and bass to carry other tunes, creating balance on the album. Clearly an improvement from other albums where keyboards, sound effects and even vocals are deafened by the guitars.\nKeyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz proves to be a key player, adding a video-game style melody to "Ich Will" (I Want) and creating a dramatically gothic atmosphere in "Sonne" (Sun) by sampling an eerie vocal line. \nLindeman rarely screams or growls, instead choosing a mysterious whisper or emotion-filled vocals fit for a Broadway play. Lindeman shows his age, but the vocals are heartfelt and create a sense of longing or sadness rather then the angry rage heard in much of today's music.\nMutter contains pop-oriented song structures complete with sing-along choruses, in German of course. The one downfall will be the title track, which remains strong but contains a melody line in the chorus that is similar to Metallica's "Unforgiven." "Links 2 3 4" and "Feuer frei!" remain true to traditional Rammstein format and should go over well live despite their rather simple song structures. \nMutter is a solid album that is both heavy and melodic and one that modern rock radio could easily pick up. It might not sell well because of the German lyrics, but its versatility puts it up with Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral and is easily one of the better rock albums released this year.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
After a slow track of random noise and static, Endo bursts into song as singer Gil Bitton lets loose a tremendous scream over a thunderous drum beat. Unfortunately, that's about all the spark the band manages on Evolve.\nEndo begins the album with "Leave us Alone," often sounding like a garage-band version of Rage Against the Machine, complete with a vocal tone similar to Zach de la Rocha. Rap-metal might base its music on rhythmic guitars, but Endo has forgotten that playing the same riff again and again only works for Wesley Willis.\nEndo does have a few bright moments lyrically, focusing on the consumerism of American society in "Listen," but often falls short on many other tracks. Lyrics such as I can't breathe cause I don't want to breathe no more from "Malice" sound like they were written by a junior high student rather than a band with a major label deal.\n"Suffer" provides an oasis in the middle of this dead affair and holds its own against any Linkin Park song on the radio. Beginning with Bitton's whisperings, the track sounds close to the Deftones in style and builds slowly over a trance-like bass line up to the chorus, during which Bitton's voice is beautifully layered. Sadly, one track just can't make up for an album that sounds as if it was recorded through a cardboard box.\nBitton does have an additional bright spot, unlike his band mates, as he relays some tight rapping over a mosh-pit inducing guitar line in "The Program." In a few years, this band might be able to develop into a high-quality unit. But by then, the rap-metal market might have evolved and vanished.\nWith the same management as Pantera and Ministry, I expected a little more from this act, but Endo ends up sounding like a cheap knock-off band most of the time, not even in the league of the likes of Slipknot or even Limp Bizkit.\nPerhaps the album should be titled Extinction because Endo is helping to dilute the already over-saturated market of rap-metal.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
The third annual Simply Living! festival teaches how things from yoga to worms can improve the quality of life. The three-day extravaganza, Simply Living!: An Exploration of Sustainable Living, features more than 40 workshops, hands-on activities, live music, vendors, a children's tent, tabling by local businesses and activist groups, and a nationally-recognized keynote speaker. It will take place at Third Street Park.\nThis year's event was co-organized by the Center for Sustainable Living, Bloomingfoods, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation and Heartwood. Workshops such as Wildlife Gardening, Economics of Living Simply, Eco-Yoga, Massage and Body Healing, Acupuncture and the ever-popular Worm Composting are offered.\nEnergy and Optimism\nSimply Living!, which has grown each year, has its origins in a similar event.\n"I originally came up with the idea after going to a renewable energy fair in the Midwest with a similar setup," organizer and presenter Christine Glaser said. "I came back here with an idea for a fair about sustainability and worked in a group of four to develop the first fair."\nThis year's project is the largest yet, with planning beginning almost immediately after evaluations of last year's fair were completed. While organizers consider last year's fair successful, they looked for even the smallest changes to increase its focus on community interests.\n"After last year's festival we got a focus group from the town and talked to them to see what they were interested in," Heartwood's Tiffany Kinney said. "We really feel we have something for everyone. It's not all about living simply, but really enjoying the life that you have."\nGlaser agreed the fair needed some tweaking.\n"This year we even had someone head a 'fun committee' for things such as music ... The thing that is so great about this event is that its got such an uplifting atmosphere where everyone can share their enthusiasm."\nHighlights of living the simple way\nAlthough Simply Living! has a diffuse focus, a central theme of the fair will be health and wellness. Jeff Brown of Bloomingfoods has organized a workshop on the subject. \n"Community education is really a high priority in our mission," Brown said. "We have a monthly educational series, offering things such as cooking classes, and really were interested in doing a whole health and wellness fair, and this had such an overlap we decided to participate."\nIn past years, Bloomingfoods helped cater the event, and is increasing its role this year by organizing the "Holistic Health and Well-Being" series of workshops. \n"We feel this track allows people to see alternatives in town for things such as disease prevention and allows people to take responsibility and become empowered for their own health," Brown said.\nKnowing that many newcomers will visit the fair for the first time this year, organizers also attempted to make the fair accessible to all, including those that come upon the event by wandering by the park.\n"We have the hands-on demos such as bee keeping and bike repair available to the public," Glaser said. "And we hope that people will walk by and try those and then become interested in going to a workshop."\nGlaser said she believes the fair can appeal to anyone.\n"We try to make it so that people who are beginners can gain knowledge, and so that people who are experienced can have a good time and make contacts as well," she said.\nGary Nabhan, director of Northern Arizona University's Center for Sustainable Environments, is flying in to speak at the Waldron Arts Center the evening before the festival. In addition to many research projects on topics such as farming and local foods, Nabhan is the author of 14 books.\n"The keynote address was done working with several people on campus," Bloomington Parks and Recreation's Marcia Veldman said. "We're very thankful because without their help and the help of the Biology department we wouldn't have been able to do it."\nThere's also a bit of art and entertainment, including performances by The Oolation Singers and the Bloomingtones. Dance/Martial Arts/singing group Capoiera Angola will also make an appearance during a workshop Sunday.\nFun in the Backyard\nAnd yes, children are welcome.\nNot forgetting that even the smallest impact makes a difference, the children's tent returns this year with a variety of environmental activities. The fest will find Bloomington's blossoming youth singing, creating finger puppets, making paper, painting, storytelling and even participating in some Tai Chi.\nRoss Brittain, from Wild Birds Unlimited, 1101 N College Ave., will be teaching a workshop called "Gardening for Birds," geared to help people learn how to create a correct habitat easily in their own green space.\n"Too many times people put up bird boxes, and end up creating more problems," Brittain says. "Most times they are either in the wrong place, in an area with predators, or are simply not monitored once put up."\nBrittain was quick to point out that 65 percent of boxes actually cause harm unintentionally due to misuse, according to the North American Bluebird Society. \n"With this work shop, and many others in the track we try to stress the importance and ease at which food, water, shelter, and a place to raise young can be implemented into someone's backyard, creating a suitable habitat," Brittain said. "We hope people live with a better understanding that their backyard is part of a larger ecological system, and that things in their backyard do make a difference."\nBrittain's workshop will be one of many in the organic gardening/urban wildlife environment track.\nClose to Home\nEnvironmental workshops are important, but learning about one's home can be just as resourceful, presenter John Bower said.\n"While the idea of the Simply Living fair is the environment outside, this focuses on the environment inside, the one you are most likely to come in contact with," he said. "This year we are basing the workshop around a case study of the house my wife and I have built, and specifically what makes it healthy."\nBower said many problems that exist in today's homes can be more easily remedied than many believe.\n"A lot of times these days, its more about what's cheap rather than what is the effect on someone's health when it comes to building a home," Bower said. "There are so many little things such as new carpeting having a variety of harmful gasses, or old carpeting being home to dust and molds, which could be the cause of the spiraling asthma rates. \n"We just want to put the idea of a healthy home in perspective and to let people realize it really doesn't cost a lot"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Some talked about mud. Others played in mud. Thus was the balance of fun and learning present at the weekend's Simply Living! festival in Third Street Park.\nSaturday brought in a large crowd, often creating packed workshops with as many as 60 people in one small room, as was the case with Steven Conrad's talk about "Solar Home Design." The workshops were spread across four rooms in two buildings, but it didn't seem to faze the participants, who seemed to be determined to have a good time at the environmental extravaganza. Many participants from prior years found themselves returning to Simply Living! because of its environment.\n"I really like the variety of events," said junior Mary Armstrong-Rogers. "The atmosphere here is really beautiful." \nGary Paul Nabhan kicked off the weekend's events by speaking to a packed house at the Waldron Arts Center Friday night, reading inspirational passages from many of his 14 books. Third Street Park was a festive flourish of music, vendors, sun, and smiles, complemented with the occasional playful puppy and even one ferret led on a leash by a group of small children.\nSome of the group felt compelled to dive into discourse with many of the vendors or activist booths present, while other were content to slip into a welcoming massage compliments of Energy Tree Associates. Old friends hugged and smiled warmly while new friends chatted eagerly about the festival's events, creating an aura of community and cooperation.\n"It's nice to connect with who is here" said Mary Meyer, of Hearthlight books, and presenter of "The Strawbale Life."\nThe attendees ranged from the elderly to toddlers -- each seen having an equally good time. Older attendees spent time with Sarah DeLone of the Monroe County Humane Association learning how to "Live in Harmony with Animal Neighbors," while kids spent time playing "Bat and Moth," a version of Marco Polo. Workshops spanned numerous topics as knowledgeable presenters such as Dan Cheeseman spoke of the medical miracles of Chi Gong, while in another building a workshop dealing with the wonders of worm composting was in action.\nRain brought a bit of challenge to the second day of the festival, but workshop attendees and presenters refused to let the little outburst of nature slow them down. Some of the festival's younger participants took advantage of all things wet, creating homemade paper in a very wet hands-on activity.\n"We made some paper, banana newspaper," said Nolan Moss, 10. "It was fun, just made it out of blended pulp." \nSaturday brought periods of warmth and sun as Bloomington resident Cathi Norton played an acoustic guitar softly throughout the afternoon, with a passerby or two laying reclined in the grass nearby. Norton was one of many performers of the weekend that also included the likes of Janssen Jones and the Bloomingtones.\nWith its largest turnout yet, both organizers and attendees are looking forward to next year.\n"I've always been into supporting Simply Living," said Carol Bridges, a Feng Shui presenter. "It's nice that it's small enough to still come have a good time and see people you know."\n
(01/30/02 4:17pm)
Whether it's fragging an out-of-state friend online in "Unreal Tournament" or having Mario duke it out against the dreaded Pikachu in "Super Smash Bros. Melee," many college students will find their thumbs becoming numb as their grades plummet into oblivion thanks to the wonderful world of video games.\nEvolving from the early days of Atari and "Pong," the gaming industry now finds itself generating $6 billion to $7 billion in yearly revenue, nearly equaling that of the motion picture industry. Gone from hardware production are former industry leaders like Sega, replaced by tech giants Sony and Microsoft, each introducing new systems to battle the incumbent Nintendo and the personal computer for gaming supremacy. \n"So what's with these new X-cube-box-station-things I've been hearing about?" you ask.\nGrowing interests in gaming has led to the development of Sony's Playstation 2, Ninendo's Gamecube and Microsoft's XBOX, all of which offer great gaming capabilities, with slight variations in hardware and software. \nThe PS2 and the XBOX will burn the biggest hole in your wallet at $300 apiece, but they also function as DVD players, unlike the $200 Gamecube that is strictly for gaming and is geared more towards a younger audience. Each system has also been left open to the possibility of modem add-ons for Internet access in the future. \nOn the tech side, Microsoft's XBOX comes charging in with a Pentium III 733-megahertz processor compared to roughly 295-MHz on the now 1-year-old PS2 and 485 MHz on the Gamecube. Top of the line PC processors still lead the pack at a whopping 2-Ghz (2000 MHz), which is more than enough juice to bring you into gaming ecstasy.\nMicrosoft's battle plan against both PCs and consoles includes featuring a 8-gigabyte hard drive in the XBOX -- the first ever on a console, allowing for games to load quicker and for larger saved games with expanded options.\n"On football I've got a 25-year franchise option. You can't do that on other systems," junior Brandon Quarles says, who is a fan of "NFL 2K2."\nFor those of you who are into having one piece of electronics capable of doing everything from word processing, storing mp3s and playing DVDs to running games and small countries, PCs might be the way to go. Bidding wars between Intel and AMD have lowered costs of parts, allowing entry-level systems to run as low as $600, but they might require a little more tech know-how to hook up than your basic console. \nAt times software can even become a factor when deciding whether to buy one console instead of another thanks to contracts guaranteeing exclusive rights to certain games. For instance, you won't be seeing the Gamecube's "Luigi's Mansion" on XBOX, but then again Playstation 2's epic "Final Fantasy X" won't be appearing on either of Sony's competitors' systems. \n"I've always been a Nintendo fan -- I've been playing since I was 4 years old. I just prefer their games, like Mario and Zelda," sophomore Brandon Rutledge says. \nPCs also offer their players the ability to create their own levels or game modifications and truly create another level of interactivity that cannot be found with consoles. The modification of the game "Half-Life" called "Counter-Strike" was originally developed by players outside the original company and became the number one online first-person-shooter. Seeing this, the creators of "Half-Life" bought the rights to "Counter-Strike" and made a retail version, but the product was still really a grass roots development, by the fans, for the fans.\nThanks to the Internet computer gamers no longer have play their versions of "Black and White" or "Quake" alone, but can now play online with upwards of 64 people in some games or in the same room as other gamers via a LAN (Local Area Network). This practice has spawned global tournaments, allowed for the creation of cyber-teams of players called "clans," led to the development of the IU Gaming Club and has even enabled certain skilled players around the world to make a living as professional gamers. \n"I recently went to (a tournament) this past weekend in Louisville that had about 550 people," says Mitchell McCall, who is currently organizing his own "Hoosierdaddy LAN War" in Bloomington for later this spring. \n"It's more than just games. You share mp3s and it's fun just going out to grab some food at 3 a.m. with a group of people."\nTrying to attract online gamers, many console titles like the first-person-shooter "Halo" for the XBOX are now built with multiplayer gaming in mind, and often allow for up to four players to play side by side. Convergence works both ways as "Halo" is currently in development for the PC while consoles prepare for the arrival of the PC's "Black and White," according to gamespot.com.\nMaking a decision in the game market is even more difficult these days since each system seems to have its own ups and downs. \n"For instance, the XBOX controller is huge, your hands cramp up after playing it for awhile," Rutledge says. "But on the other hand the PS2 you can play all the original PS1 games as well, so it's just got a larger library of games."\nThe ability for PCs to differ in model also allows for games to be produced with the ability to be played on numerous systems with different specifications, unlike console games, which work only on the platform they are produced for. That is to say if your friend has a recent PC, you can probably swap games, but if your buddy has a Playstation 2 and you have a Gamecube, you're out of luck. \nNowadays it's even possible to download old Nintendo or Sega games off the internet and play them on computers through applications called Emulators, but some wonder if this really creates the same atmosphere as being able to just recline in a chair while playing "Madden NFL 2002."\n"PC games just don't appeal to me, I just like games I can play on the television," Rutledge says.\nMicrosoft isn't the only company to jump the gap between PC and consoles as the XBOX uses graphics cards made by nVidia -- the same company making top of the line GeForce cards for the PC.\nWhen it comes down to it, the PC and all three consoles offer high quality gaming with just enough difference between them so that gamers can figure out what suits their own interests, whether it's the large game availability of the PS2, the adaptability of the PC, support by a computer giant in the XBOX or the comfort of seeing familiar on screen faces in the Gamecube. Regardless of which companies survive or fail, the market has proven gaming is here to stay.
(01/30/02 5:00am)
Whether it's fragging an out-of-state friend online in "Unreal Tournament" or having Mario duke it out against the dreaded Pikachu in "Super Smash Bros. Melee," many college students will find their thumbs becoming numb as their grades plummet into oblivion thanks to the wonderful world of video games.\nEvolving from the early days of Atari and "Pong," the gaming industry now finds itself generating $6 billion to $7 billion in yearly revenue, nearly equaling that of the motion picture industry. Gone from hardware production are former industry leaders like Sega, replaced by tech giants Sony and Microsoft, each introducing new systems to battle the incumbent Nintendo and the personal computer for gaming supremacy. \n"So what's with these new X-cube-box-station-things I've been hearing about?" you ask.\nGrowing interests in gaming has led to the development of Sony's Playstation 2, Ninendo's Gamecube and Microsoft's XBOX, all of which offer great gaming capabilities, with slight variations in hardware and software. \nThe PS2 and the XBOX will burn the biggest hole in your wallet at $300 apiece, but they also function as DVD players, unlike the $200 Gamecube that is strictly for gaming and is geared more towards a younger audience. Each system has also been left open to the possibility of modem add-ons for Internet access in the future. \nOn the tech side, Microsoft's XBOX comes charging in with a Pentium III 733-megahertz processor compared to roughly 295-MHz on the now 1-year-old PS2 and 485 MHz on the Gamecube. Top of the line PC processors still lead the pack at a whopping 2-Ghz (2000 MHz), which is more than enough juice to bring you into gaming ecstasy.\nMicrosoft's battle plan against both PCs and consoles includes featuring a 8-gigabyte hard drive in the XBOX -- the first ever on a console, allowing for games to load quicker and for larger saved games with expanded options.\n"On football I've got a 25-year franchise option. You can't do that on other systems," junior Brandon Quarles says, who is a fan of "NFL 2K2."\nFor those of you who are into having one piece of electronics capable of doing everything from word processing, storing mp3s and playing DVDs to running games and small countries, PCs might be the way to go. Bidding wars between Intel and AMD have lowered costs of parts, allowing entry-level systems to run as low as $600, but they might require a little more tech know-how to hook up than your basic console. \nAt times software can even become a factor when deciding whether to buy one console instead of another thanks to contracts guaranteeing exclusive rights to certain games. For instance, you won't be seeing the Gamecube's "Luigi's Mansion" on XBOX, but then again Playstation 2's epic "Final Fantasy X" won't be appearing on either of Sony's competitors' systems. \n"I've always been a Nintendo fan -- I've been playing since I was 4 years old. I just prefer their games, like Mario and Zelda," sophomore Brandon Rutledge says. \nPCs also offer their players the ability to create their own levels or game modifications and truly create another level of interactivity that cannot be found with consoles. The modification of the game "Half-Life" called "Counter-Strike" was originally developed by players outside the original company and became the number one online first-person-shooter. Seeing this, the creators of "Half-Life" bought the rights to "Counter-Strike" and made a retail version, but the product was still really a grass roots development, by the fans, for the fans.\nThanks to the Internet computer gamers no longer have play their versions of "Black and White" or "Quake" alone, but can now play online with upwards of 64 people in some games or in the same room as other gamers via a LAN (Local Area Network). This practice has spawned global tournaments, allowed for the creation of cyber-teams of players called "clans," led to the development of the IU Gaming Club and has even enabled certain skilled players around the world to make a living as professional gamers. \n"I recently went to (a tournament) this past weekend in Louisville that had about 550 people," says Mitchell McCall, who is currently organizing his own "Hoosierdaddy LAN War" in Bloomington for later this spring. \n"It's more than just games. You share mp3s and it's fun just going out to grab some food at 3 a.m. with a group of people."\nTrying to attract online gamers, many console titles like the first-person-shooter "Halo" for the XBOX are now built with multiplayer gaming in mind, and often allow for up to four players to play side by side. Convergence works both ways as "Halo" is currently in development for the PC while consoles prepare for the arrival of the PC's "Black and White," according to gamespot.com.\nMaking a decision in the game market is even more difficult these days since each system seems to have its own ups and downs. \n"For instance, the XBOX controller is huge, your hands cramp up after playing it for awhile," Rutledge says. "But on the other hand the PS2 you can play all the original PS1 games as well, so it's just got a larger library of games."\nThe ability for PCs to differ in model also allows for games to be produced with the ability to be played on numerous systems with different specifications, unlike console games, which work only on the platform they are produced for. That is to say if your friend has a recent PC, you can probably swap games, but if your buddy has a Playstation 2 and you have a Gamecube, you're out of luck. \nNowadays it's even possible to download old Nintendo or Sega games off the internet and play them on computers through applications called Emulators, but some wonder if this really creates the same atmosphere as being able to just recline in a chair while playing "Madden NFL 2002."\n"PC games just don't appeal to me, I just like games I can play on the television," Rutledge says.\nMicrosoft isn't the only company to jump the gap between PC and consoles as the XBOX uses graphics cards made by nVidia -- the same company making top of the line GeForce cards for the PC.\nWhen it comes down to it, the PC and all three consoles offer high quality gaming with just enough difference between them so that gamers can figure out what suits their own interests, whether it's the large game availability of the PS2, the adaptability of the PC, support by a computer giant in the XBOX or the comfort of seeing familiar on screen faces in the Gamecube. Regardless of which companies survive or fail, the market has proven gaming is here to stay.
(11/01/01 4:42am)
Turning on the TV, flipping through sitcoms, drama and court TV. Then, "What's with those cartoon characters with blue hair?" This unique programming is probably anime.\nJapanese animation, known as anime, has experienced a surge of stateside interest in recent years, and its appeal is transcending its former cult status.\nIt wasn't long ago that finding anime in the United States was a quest in itself, with buyers forced to scour trade shows only to find poorly dubbed versions of the product.\n"I remember buying bootleg videos in 1992 for $25 at comic conventions, and that was the only way you could find it," Chris Joslyn of PC Guru Comics said.\nWith popularity on the rise, features on Cartoon Network's "Toonami" and re-releases of classics like "Akira" (1988) on DVD have helped anime create some serious momentum in the United States for the first time.\n"Five years ago when I was in high school here, there wasn't any anime around -- now you can walk into any video store and find some," junior Seizo Tsutsumi said.\nSophomore Jeremy Zimmerman, who stumbled into the world of anime five years ago thanks to his brother's collection, believes Toonami programming helped set the stage for anime to reach the masses, allowing this multi-national juggernaut to find a foothold in the United States.\n"I think most people hadn't heard much about anime until series like 'Dragon Ball Z' and 'Gundam' took off and gave it such a good reputation," Zimmerman said. "The thing about anime is that there is a lot of detail put into the small things. It's not like traditional animation where it's just characters against a static background. In anime, everything is so detailed that you never know what is going to move or what is going to happen." \nThe anime craze has hit close to home in the form of IU's anime club, which holds weekly meetings to explore the art form, and of course indulge in generous amounts of anime viewing. The club had up to thirty people converge to watch at times last year, depending on what was being shown, Tsutsumi said. \nHe said the club's goal is to spread awareness of Japanese culture, but it has also served as a launching pad for those who want to try learning the Japanese language, as well as share movies in a cost-cutting fashion.\nJapanese animation spans across as many genres as modern day, live-action motion pictures, ranging from kids' comedies to adult drama and action. Its popularity is on the rise, slowly taking over spots on cable networks formerly occupied by traditional animation such as Bugs Bunny. \nThe new, "caffeinated" version of the art form made popular in the United States by Walt Disney is being re-vamped, full of intricate story lines and intense visual scenes. Many young adults of today grew up watching anime such as "Voltron," "Thundercats" and "Speed Racer" in a genre that has continued to expand, enticing younger audiences as well as college age adults with "Pokemon" and "Sailor Moon," adding to anime's growing fan base and public interest.\n Intensely detailed artwork or action often characterizes anime, separating it from traditional American animation and contributing to its mass appeal. These aren't just regular after-school cartoons, as anime targets a variety of audiences and is comprised of complex story lines, dramatic relationships, and at times intensely graphic portrayals of violence and sex. While anime is often famous for creating space-epics full of high tech robots called mecha, there are just as many comedic tales of romance and personal growth under the canopy of anime. It is this diverse array of content and artistry that has allowed animation to become a medium, like the motion picture, able to cover all facets of life, both real and surreal, stretching the imagination at every turn.\nIn addition to full-length movies and video series, anime style exists in print comics, called manga, while the style itself has even found its way visually into popular video games such as the Final Fantasy series. Anime has become so popular that one film, "Princess Mononoke," was able to land the vocal talents of Billy Bob Thornton, Claire Danes and Jada Pinkett Smith, among others, for its English-language translation, even though the U.S. release was delayed because promoters feared it would dwarf their other projects.\n"'Princess Mononoke' was actually made seven years ago in Japan -- without computer animation -- but Disney bought it and wouldn't release it (in the U.S.) because their animation hadn't progressed that far," Joslyn said.\nWhile the genre is still picking up steam in the United States, anime remains an even stronger force in its home country, devouring record after record. Last summer, "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" set attendance records in Japan, beating out features such as "A.I." and "Planet of the Apes" in theatres, according to CNN. In August, the film was on pace to beat "Titanic" as the largest grossing film ever in Japan. The question seems not if, but when, films by animation greats such as Hayao Miyazaki ("Mononoke," "Kamikaushi") will break into the U.S. box office.\nAs anime becomes more wide-spread, controversies arise. Detractors of anime often confuse it with hentai, a pornographic sub-genre, creating an unwelcome blemish on the genre, Zimmerman said.\n"A lot of people think all anime is hentai, so some people automatically are like 'oh, this is evil,' before watching the stuff."\nWhile anime allows sex to be more prominent in its stories than most mainstream American animation, other topics such as environmentalism and philosophy come into play as well, illustrating the wide variety of subjects anime encompasses. \nHistorical dramas such as "Grave of the Fireflies," a tale about two children surviving the desolate aftermath of Hiroshima, suggests that anime can be used as a tool of teaching or remembrance, just as powerful as live action films such as "Schindler's List."\n"For older people in their twenties, traditional cartoons get repetitive and boring. People want to just get into something different, exotic," Tsutsumi said. "Anime has a lot more leeway -- things don't always have to have a happy end."\nCatering to older audiences has brought the wrath of censorship, leading American distributors to often release only an edited copy of films. Some viewers believe this can take away from key elements of the story and at times create an inaccurate version.\n"Unfortunately, I think a lot of the story is lost in translation (to the United States). Things will have different meanings, because things in Japan will have different cultural references that we just won't get here," Joslyn said.\nIn addition to rich story lines, many anime characters are multifaceted, allowing the scriptwriters to fully explore all ranges of the human psyche, from the fantastic to the maniacal. \n"Take the lead character for (anime series) Trigun, for example -- he's so complex, it's like three characters wrapped into one," Zimmerman said. "There's the 'happy-go-lucky', his 'hidden past' and then your basic 'destroy evil' character."\nRegardless of censorship or cultural differences, anime popularity appears to be on a steady rise. DVD releases often give the viewer the choice of the original language version or a subtitled version, allowing English-speaking audiences a chance to experience anime. Joslyn believes this will allow a second rise of anime as audiences raised on anime enter the professional field and begin to put their stamp on the animation business.\n"I think a lot more artists are starting to pick up the style, and maybe in five years it will pick up again as kids who were in high school become artists; right now its just going to blend into pop culture"
(10/18/01 5:11am)
Osbourne's 13th album, Down to Earth, finds the legend returning to a harder straightforward style of rock on tracks like "Facing Hell," which could stand up against any of Osbourne's previous work. Unlike 1995's Ozzmosis, this album stays away from the ambient guitar sound in favor of a straightforward rock approach. Osbourne does tame the mix with a couple of ballads, but hey, the man is in his 50s.\nDown to Earth finds Osbourne teamed with a new team of co-writers, which is evident in the song structures that are much more vocal-driven, with an orchestrated feel. "Dreamer" sounds very similar to John Lennon's "Imagine", complete with a delicate piano line over which Osbourne says, "It would be nice if we could find serenity/ It would be nice if we could live as one," showing the madman's more compassionate side. Osbourne again visits the Beatles-esque sound on the acoustic "You know...," a song he wrote as a message to his children.\nThe lyrics to the album's first single "Gets Me Through" were written as a tribute to his fans, but unfortunately it never picks up musically, with a repetitive and sludgy beat making it a poor choice to open the album.\nGuitarist Zakk Wylde, who has recently reunited with Osbourne after a six-year absence, provides solid work on the fret board. Wylde's playing seems controlled and planned, as his solos complement the music rather than taking it over. Still, Wylde's virtuosity is able to reach its peak form in a few key moments, such as his diverse solo in "Junkie," which seems to combine every guitar style. \nOsbourne's vocal recordings haven't seemed to falter with age as he blends layered melodies on tracks such as "Black Illusion" and "Running Out of Time," while lyrically the album finds the aging godfather of metal reminiscing on his life. Struggles with health after years of drug abuse are apparent in "Can You Hear Them?" and interesting enough, the song "Junkie" actually finds Osbourne criticizing the lifestyle he once led.\nDown to Earth likely won't earn Osbourne many new listeners, but with new classics such as "Facing Hell," "Dreamer" and "Running Out of Time," old fans should be satisfied until Ozzy returns in the flesh for his Night of Merry Mayhem tour with Rob Zombie this fall.\nRating: 7
(10/18/01 5:02am)
Just days before leaving on a tour that will at one point find his band playing 26 days in a row, FIshbone guitarist Tracey Singleton, or Spacey T as he's commonly known, seems laid back and upbeat during a phone call from his L.A. residence. Though Fishbone is without a major record deal, Singleton can't conceal his excitement about the band's new tunes, side projects and willingness to keep the funk coming, no matter the opposition.\n"We've been doing a lot of studio tracks and experimenting with Pro-tools," Singleton says. "We also recorded for a live video at the Temple club in L.A., two nights -- all killer."\nFounded in 1979 while some of its members were in junior high, the Los Angeles-based act has woven its unique mixture of funk, metal and ska, blended with socially conscious lyrics into a potent high-energy sound that once landed the group a spot on the main stage of Lollapalooza -- all while being labeled 'too black' for rock radio, and 'too rock' for stations playing hip-hop.\nFishbone is comprised of vocalist Angelo Moore on sax and theramin, bassist Norwood Fisher, pocket trumpetist Walter Kibby II, guitarist Singleton (Spacey T) and percussionist John Steward.\nFishbone's tour will also feature opening performances by two of the band members' side projects -- Dirty Walt and the Columbus Sanitation and Angelo Moore's alter ego Dr. Madd Vibe. Blowfly, who has recorded with Fishbone in the past, will also play the show, along with local rockers Classic Smack. Smack bassist Evan Stuann feels the bands' combined fan bases will meld well.\n"They play with intensity and so do we, so we think our fans will match," Stuann says.\nRhino's director Brad Wilhelm expects a packed house for Friday's show. \n"We're incredibly fortunate," Wilhelm says. "This really fell into our laps by the grace of the gods. I expect this to be the attendance breaker."\nSingleton says Fishbone is determined to keep doing what its members love best: making music and having fun, and maybe packing in a house here and there.\n"We just want to see how people support the new stuff, since we're not supporting a new record," Singleton says. "We want to just go out there and capture people's imagination, because we're 'ever moving on."\nBlending horn sections and bass, Singleton's genre-defying guitar work and Moore's dynamic vocals, Fishbone promises to at least keep the audience guessing at what will follow.\n"We've got a new song called 'There a demon in here'. It's kind of like neo-classical funk," Singleton says. "It's crazy because I have this guitar part going, and Angelo has these horns that sound like a Mexican mariachi. We've got another called 'Skankin' go nuts,' that's kind of progressive ska, with reggae parts on the verse."\nSingleton was thrilled to be able to join Fishbone when he was offered a spot several years ago. But most strange is Singleton's late friend had predicted the event years earlier.\n"Ray Jarvis, my friend who died on Valentine's Day, used to come over, and we'd jam and learn the Fishbone songs, and he'd tell me I'd be in the band someday," Singleton says. "My first tour with Fishbone, we came into town and were playing (a club) and when our eyes met, I was like, 'Ray, how did you know?'"\nThough Singleton is proud of what Fishbone has accomplished since he joined the musicians, he says he can't help but feel disappointed when the band sees their peers pass them by and achieve the recognition Fishbone has worked so hard to earn.\n"Here's our twilight zone: We play a show and tell our opening band 'don't be surprised if we're opening for you (in the future),'" Singleton says. "No Doubt, 311, Chili Peppers, the list goes on."\nAfter years of fighting the system and maintaining a distinctly different sound, some of the original members of the band decided to take a small risk -- that is, follow the advice of their label and create a more 'radio-friendly' product on their 2000 release The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx.\n"Eventually the record company came down and said, 'Well, if you water it down a bit and have some guests, we'll back it,'" Singleton says, his frustration evident. Guest performers on their most recent album include Gwen Stefani, George Clinton and Rick James.\nBut even with this added element, Singleton still feels that the group's music may just not be "dumbed-down" enough for radio. "Maybe the music is 'too real,'" he says.\nSmack guitarist Tim Gray can relate with Fishbone's struggle for acceptance outside its fan base.\n"I think it's kind of difficult to be a straight up hard-rock band in Bloomington," Gray says. "A lot of music in the town is candy coated."\nVaried playing styles and interests of Fishbone's members have helped the band achieve its eclectic mix.\n"Norwood is the master of the bass. We've got this new song 'Frayed fucking nerve endings', where we do this new rhythmic thing Norwood came up with, never heard of before," Singleton says as he makes a buzzing sound excitedly, imitating the music. "It's just heavy, jungle, funky live. I can't help it if we're not one-dimensional. We're just trying to be the best that we can be."\nSingleton says his own personal style develops depending on what the music calls for. \n"For one thing, I try to be true to (former members) Kendall and J.B., and just take it to the next level," Singleton explains. "With hardcore soloing, sometimes people don't do that anymore, and I think it's because they can't play … some songs just have to have helluh solos."\nThe guitarist says he'd like to do some work with Prince in the future. \n"We have so much in common musically and with what happened with him and the record companies, but I'd like to just sit down, guitar to guitar," he says. \nSingleton says the band hopes continuous playing and hard work will bring the band the recognition it deserves in the mainstream media rotation, which the guitarist believes would help the band take off.\n"We're going to keep down with what we're doing," Singleton says, "and see all our fans at the shows."\nWristbands for admission to the show will be distributed outside Rhino's beginning at 7 p.m. the day of the show only. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.
(10/18/01 4:00am)
Just days before leaving on a tour that will at one point find his band playing 26 days in a row, FIshbone guitarist Tracey Singleton, or Spacey T as he's commonly known, seems laid back and upbeat during a phone call from his L.A. residence. Though Fishbone is without a major record deal, Singleton can't conceal his excitement about the band's new tunes, side projects and willingness to keep the funk coming, no matter the opposition.\n"We've been doing a lot of studio tracks and experimenting with Pro-tools," Singleton says. "We also recorded for a live video at the Temple club in L.A., two nights -- all killer."\nFounded in 1979 while some of its members were in junior high, the Los Angeles-based act has woven its unique mixture of funk, metal and ska, blended with socially conscious lyrics into a potent high-energy sound that once landed the group a spot on the main stage of Lollapalooza -- all while being labeled 'too black' for rock radio, and 'too rock' for stations playing hip-hop.\nFishbone is comprised of vocalist Angelo Moore on sax and theramin, bassist Norwood Fisher, pocket trumpetist Walter Kibby II, guitarist Singleton (Spacey T) and percussionist John Steward.\nFishbone's tour will also feature opening performances by two of the band members' side projects -- Dirty Walt and the Columbus Sanitation and Angelo Moore's alter ego Dr. Madd Vibe. Blowfly, who has recorded with Fishbone in the past, will also play the show, along with local rockers Classic Smack. Smack bassist Evan Stuann feels the bands' combined fan bases will meld well.\n"They play with intensity and so do we, so we think our fans will match," Stuann says.\nRhino's director Brad Wilhelm expects a packed house for Friday's show. \n"We're incredibly fortunate," Wilhelm says. "This really fell into our laps by the grace of the gods. I expect this to be the attendance breaker."\nSingleton says Fishbone is determined to keep doing what its members love best: making music and having fun, and maybe packing in a house here and there.\n"We just want to see how people support the new stuff, since we're not supporting a new record," Singleton says. "We want to just go out there and capture people's imagination, because we're 'ever moving on."\nBlending horn sections and bass, Singleton's genre-defying guitar work and Moore's dynamic vocals, Fishbone promises to at least keep the audience guessing at what will follow.\n"We've got a new song called 'There a demon in here'. It's kind of like neo-classical funk," Singleton says. "It's crazy because I have this guitar part going, and Angelo has these horns that sound like a Mexican mariachi. We've got another called 'Skankin' go nuts,' that's kind of progressive ska, with reggae parts on the verse."\nSingleton was thrilled to be able to join Fishbone when he was offered a spot several years ago. But most strange is Singleton's late friend had predicted the event years earlier.\n"Ray Jarvis, my friend who died on Valentine's Day, used to come over, and we'd jam and learn the Fishbone songs, and he'd tell me I'd be in the band someday," Singleton says. "My first tour with Fishbone, we came into town and were playing (a club) and when our eyes met, I was like, 'Ray, how did you know?'"\nThough Singleton is proud of what Fishbone has accomplished since he joined the musicians, he says he can't help but feel disappointed when the band sees their peers pass them by and achieve the recognition Fishbone has worked so hard to earn.\n"Here's our twilight zone: We play a show and tell our opening band 'don't be surprised if we're opening for you (in the future),'" Singleton says. "No Doubt, 311, Chili Peppers, the list goes on."\nAfter years of fighting the system and maintaining a distinctly different sound, some of the original members of the band decided to take a small risk -- that is, follow the advice of their label and create a more 'radio-friendly' product on their 2000 release The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx.\n"Eventually the record company came down and said, 'Well, if you water it down a bit and have some guests, we'll back it,'" Singleton says, his frustration evident. Guest performers on their most recent album include Gwen Stefani, George Clinton and Rick James.\nBut even with this added element, Singleton still feels that the group's music may just not be "dumbed-down" enough for radio. "Maybe the music is 'too real,'" he says.\nSmack guitarist Tim Gray can relate with Fishbone's struggle for acceptance outside its fan base.\n"I think it's kind of difficult to be a straight up hard-rock band in Bloomington," Gray says. "A lot of music in the town is candy coated."\nVaried playing styles and interests of Fishbone's members have helped the band achieve its eclectic mix.\n"Norwood is the master of the bass. We've got this new song 'Frayed fucking nerve endings', where we do this new rhythmic thing Norwood came up with, never heard of before," Singleton says as he makes a buzzing sound excitedly, imitating the music. "It's just heavy, jungle, funky live. I can't help it if we're not one-dimensional. We're just trying to be the best that we can be."\nSingleton says his own personal style develops depending on what the music calls for. \n"For one thing, I try to be true to (former members) Kendall and J.B., and just take it to the next level," Singleton explains. "With hardcore soloing, sometimes people don't do that anymore, and I think it's because they can't play … some songs just have to have helluh solos."\nThe guitarist says he'd like to do some work with Prince in the future. \n"We have so much in common musically and with what happened with him and the record companies, but I'd like to just sit down, guitar to guitar," he says. \nSingleton says the band hopes continuous playing and hard work will bring the band the recognition it deserves in the mainstream media rotation, which the guitarist believes would help the band take off.\n"We're going to keep down with what we're doing," Singleton says, "and see all our fans at the shows."\nWristbands for admission to the show will be distributed outside Rhino's beginning at 7 p.m. the day of the show only. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.
(10/18/01 4:00am)
Osbourne's 13th album, Down to Earth, finds the legend returning to a harder straightforward style of rock on tracks like "Facing Hell," which could stand up against any of Osbourne's previous work. Unlike 1995's Ozzmosis, this album stays away from the ambient guitar sound in favor of a straightforward rock approach. Osbourne does tame the mix with a couple of ballads, but hey, the man is in his 50s.\nDown to Earth finds Osbourne teamed with a new team of co-writers, which is evident in the song structures that are much more vocal-driven, with an orchestrated feel. "Dreamer" sounds very similar to John Lennon's "Imagine", complete with a delicate piano line over which Osbourne says, "It would be nice if we could find serenity/ It would be nice if we could live as one," showing the madman's more compassionate side. Osbourne again visits the Beatles-esque sound on the acoustic "You know...," a song he wrote as a message to his children.\nThe lyrics to the album's first single "Gets Me Through" were written as a tribute to his fans, but unfortunately it never picks up musically, with a repetitive and sludgy beat making it a poor choice to open the album.\nGuitarist Zakk Wylde, who has recently reunited with Osbourne after a six-year absence, provides solid work on the fret board. Wylde's playing seems controlled and planned, as his solos complement the music rather than taking it over. Still, Wylde's virtuosity is able to reach its peak form in a few key moments, such as his diverse solo in "Junkie," which seems to combine every guitar style. \nOsbourne's vocal recordings haven't seemed to falter with age as he blends layered melodies on tracks such as "Black Illusion" and "Running Out of Time," while lyrically the album finds the aging godfather of metal reminiscing on his life. Struggles with health after years of drug abuse are apparent in "Can You Hear Them?" and interesting enough, the song "Junkie" actually finds Osbourne criticizing the lifestyle he once led.\nDown to Earth likely won't earn Osbourne many new listeners, but with new classics such as "Facing Hell," "Dreamer" and "Running Out of Time," old fans should be satisfied until Ozzy returns in the flesh for his Night of Merry Mayhem tour with Rob Zombie this fall.\nRating: 7
(10/10/01 3:58am)
The fears of today and scares of years past will come together today as classic shock-rocker Alice Cooper performs a pavilion-only show at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.\nCooper's performance is one highlight of Hardee's Stage Fright, an interactive carnival of horror, music and other Halloween events designed to chill visitors during the month of October.\nThe festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday throughout the month of October, features the "Carn-Evil of Souls" 3-D Haunted Circus, the Dungeon of Horror, and the "Acres of Agony" haunted hayride in addition to a site where classic horror films will be shown, said Clear Channel Entertainment publicity director Andy Wilson.\nCooper, famous for inventing the shock-rock genre in which artists such as Marilyn Manson are infants, will perform in support of his newly released album, Dragontown. Gates for Hardee's Stage Fright open at 5:30 p.m., with the concert beginning at 8:30 p.m.\nCooper became famous in the 1970s for his theatrical act which featured mock beheadings, boa constrictors and electric chairs, scoring hits such as "School's Out," "Poison" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy." \nThe shock rocker diversified his career in the 1990s with film roles in "Wayne's World" and independent horror films.\nVisiting Assistant Professor of Music Andrew Hollinden, who teaches the "Rock Music in the '70s and '80s" class, said Cooper was the original rock and roll anti-hero. \n"Everyone before Alice was just a big rock god, and he was just a sinister character, with a sinister voice that just scared the heck out of kids' parents, with his giant boa, looking like hell," Hollinden said.\nHollinden said Cooper's antics were shocking at the time, an image he said he believes many people overlook today. \n"It's stuff we take for granted nowadays, but back then he really was just a horrible character in his time," Hollinden said. \nWilson said Cooper's show will blend in perfectly with the surrounding events of the night. \n"I think its just natural that Alice fans will be fans of horror, so this works out nicely," Wilson said. "Halloween is for all ages, so we wanted to turn it up a notch."\nHardee's Stage Fright is the first of what Wilson said will be an annual event that will completely dwarf other Halloween festivals due to the unique attributes of the venue.\n"For one thing, we have acres and acres of field surrounding the center, which lends itself perfectly for the hayrides," Wilson said. "In addition to that, we've got a rock and roll venue with lighting, we've got the financial ability and technical ability to make the best haunted house in Indiana."\nCooper seems ready to be a part of the fright fest.\n"The heart of (Cooper's 2000 album) Brutal Planet is "Dragontown," which is really a place of consequence. It's where the worst of the worst are," Cooper said recently in an interview with his label, Spitfire Records.\nWilson said this year's event differs from other haunted house activities in that it is actually intended to truly scare people.\n"This is not an event for children, this is to spook people," Wilson said.\nTickets for the performance which include admission to all of Hardee's Stage Fright are $20 and available at Ticketmaster outlets.
(10/09/01 5:28am)
Silent Bob will speak. \nKevin Smith, the man who created the characters Jay and Silent Bob in cult-favorite films such as "Clerks" and "Mallrats," will give a short lecture followed by an extended question-and-answer session at 8 p.m., Oct. 26 at the IU Auditorium.\nSmith will speak about the film industry, but will spend most of his time answering questions from the audience -- a style of interaction Smith prefers, said Union Board Films director Erik Gibson, a senior.\nThe event, co-sponsored by UB Lectures and Films committees and PC Guru Comics, will be free to students with a valid IUB ID. Tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. Monday at the IU Activities Desk. Students must bring one ID for every ticket requested. If tickets remain, they will go on sale to the general public at a later date.\nIU is one of only four colleges the filmmaker will visit on this speaking tour, and UB is excited Smith is coming said Lectures director Nick Hillman, a junior. \n"Union Board and other groups on campus have been trying to get him for years," Gibson said. "Work started on this event last April and we've just been pushing it through since." \nSmith first began to gain critical acclaim following his 1994 self-financed film "Clerks," which won the Filmmakers' Trophy Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Four films later, Smith has received cult favorite status, even marketing his own action figure.\nOne of UB's goals this year was to get a wide variety of speakers, and particularly to get someone from the motion picture field,z Hillman said.\n"We felt that he had a large college following thanks to the movies, and felt with his new movie coming out this was the perfect time," Hillman said.\nChris Joslin of PC Guru Comic Books, who has met and seen Smith speak multiple times, described him as a living legend.\n"Some say he's the guy who changed comic books," Joslin said. "He's been a No. 1 writer for years and has really helped the comic book industry get going again."\nIn addition to work on his own "Jay and Silent Bob" comic, Smith has helped work on "Daredevil" and "Green Arrow" books, and at one time was approached to help write the script for a new Superman feature film, a project Smith left after deciding the story did not do the character justice.\nJoslin says the crowd will likely be impressed with Smith's ability to speak in such a witty yet knowledgeable fashion. \n"Everything is either funny or meaningful," Joslin said.\nFans will be able to have a chance to speak directly with Smith through the question and answer session.\n"This lecture is different in that it really gives students a chance to get involved, to have a sort of personal connection," Hillman said.\nIt's likely the talks will be extremely popular, Gibson said. \n"A lot of people say they can really identify with the characters," Gibson said. "Smith's films are about being young and having characters and situations that could really exist." \nJoslin believes it's Smith's down-to-earth aura that really attracts people.\n"He's lived the dream of every comic book guy like myself, and unlike a lot of other people in Hollywood, he's just a regular funny guy"
(09/06/01 4:15am)
From smoke-filled bars to the fiery ashes of Woodstock '99, King Konga have managed to keep their cool and now find themselves poised to bring their groove-filled stylings to this year's Hoosierfest.\nKing Konga -- whose sound is somewhere in the realm of Dave Matthews Band blended with the vivacious drumming of world music and a little bit of funk -- believe the key to their success lies within their determination to persevere and deep love for what they do.\nThe band consists of vocalist/guitarist Dan Hannon, percussionist Tony Lymon, bassist Steve Cook and drummer Skeeto Valdez, most of whom met while attending the University of Southern Mississippi.\nHannon said he believes the positive energy Konga brings to its live shows and music serve as a welcome change from the usual dish on modern radio.\n"A lot of pop recently is heavier and driven by anger, and I think people are fed up with that," Hannon says. "Were just four honest guys on stage, and we love this more then anything else."\nSome musicians know from the start that music is what they are fated to do, but in Konga's case, the band formed initially just to make ends meet.\n"We kinda became a band by accident," Hannon says. "We just needed some cash one week and one gig slowly became another and another, and here we are now seven years later." \nGig by gig, Konga slowly saw their popularity grow after years of self-financed and self-produced tours and albums. But the band's formation was not instantaneous nor easy. Hannon recalls one point where the band repeatedly tried out numerous drummers before finally deciding on Valdez after an extensive search involving over 700 phone calls, Hannon says.\n"That four month period was definitely the toughest for us, having to teach a new drummer the songs, and just going up on stage not knowing what was going to happen," Hannon says.\nWith the addition of Valdez, who has recorded with Funkmaster George Clinton, the band began to gain momentum, eventually playing a headline show at the House of Blues and a guest spot on an NBC morning show. The band later landed a spot at Woodstock '99, which Hannon says was an enormous highpoint for the band, as well as a source of inspiration for their future.\n"Woodstock '99 definitely set a standard for us," Hannon says. "After that, we saw what we could do by ourselves and we decided we gotta just keep on going."\nDave Kubiak, owner of the Bluebird, served as entertainment organizer for Hoosierfest and says he felt Konga's style would fit right in with the eclectic set of performers scheduled to appear at the event.\n"We tried to get a lot of different types of music," Kubiak says. "They had played in town a few times and were generating a pretty good reputation by word of mouth, and so they seemed like a great band for the college students in our audience. They had talked about wanting to do an all ages show at Bluebird, so everyone could come. Hoosierfest seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to do so."\nThough proud of their live performance, King Konga has also managed some success with their studio recordings, namely 1997's monkey see. monkey groove., which sold 15,000 copies. Its successor, Halo, recently passed the 12,000 copies sold point and Konga currently has plans to release their next album Something Good on Oct. 23.\n"There are really peaks and valleys on the same day a lot of time," Hannon says. "But at the same time we hope people see it's blatantly obvious that we enjoy every minute we're up there playing." \nIt's this calmness and determination that allows the band to keep their sanity through trying times.\n"We never know what's going to come next," publicist Heather Crickenberger says. "It's really just gig to gig."\nIt's this easy-going optimism towards life that is expressed on their junior effort Halo, particularly in the song "Same but different blues":\n"Woke up this morning crazy from the heat / I put my pants on backwards and my shoes on the wrong feet / But I know that everything will be alright."\nAnd with that attitude, it probably will.
(09/06/01 4:00am)
From smoke-filled bars to the fiery ashes of Woodstock '99, King Konga have managed to keep their cool and now find themselves poised to bring their groove-filled stylings to this year's Hoosierfest.\nKing Konga -- whose sound is somewhere in the realm of Dave Matthews Band blended with the vivacious drumming of world music and a little bit of funk -- believe the key to their success lies within their determination to persevere and deep love for what they do.\nThe band consists of vocalist/guitarist Dan Hannon, percussionist Tony Lymon, bassist Steve Cook and drummer Skeeto Valdez, most of whom met while attending the University of Southern Mississippi.\nHannon said he believes the positive energy Konga brings to its live shows and music serve as a welcome change from the usual dish on modern radio.\n"A lot of pop recently is heavier and driven by anger, and I think people are fed up with that," Hannon says. "Were just four honest guys on stage, and we love this more then anything else."\nSome musicians know from the start that music is what they are fated to do, but in Konga's case, the band formed initially just to make ends meet.\n"We kinda became a band by accident," Hannon says. "We just needed some cash one week and one gig slowly became another and another, and here we are now seven years later." \nGig by gig, Konga slowly saw their popularity grow after years of self-financed and self-produced tours and albums. But the band's formation was not instantaneous nor easy. Hannon recalls one point where the band repeatedly tried out numerous drummers before finally deciding on Valdez after an extensive search involving over 700 phone calls, Hannon says.\n"That four month period was definitely the toughest for us, having to teach a new drummer the songs, and just going up on stage not knowing what was going to happen," Hannon says.\nWith the addition of Valdez, who has recorded with Funkmaster George Clinton, the band began to gain momentum, eventually playing a headline show at the House of Blues and a guest spot on an NBC morning show. The band later landed a spot at Woodstock '99, which Hannon says was an enormous highpoint for the band, as well as a source of inspiration for their future.\n"Woodstock '99 definitely set a standard for us," Hannon says. "After that, we saw what we could do by ourselves and we decided we gotta just keep on going."\nDave Kubiak, owner of the Bluebird, served as entertainment organizer for Hoosierfest and says he felt Konga's style would fit right in with the eclectic set of performers scheduled to appear at the event.\n"We tried to get a lot of different types of music," Kubiak says. "They had played in town a few times and were generating a pretty good reputation by word of mouth, and so they seemed like a great band for the college students in our audience. They had talked about wanting to do an all ages show at Bluebird, so everyone could come. Hoosierfest seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to do so."\nThough proud of their live performance, King Konga has also managed some success with their studio recordings, namely 1997's monkey see. monkey groove., which sold 15,000 copies. Its successor, Halo, recently passed the 12,000 copies sold point and Konga currently has plans to release their next album Something Good on Oct. 23.\n"There are really peaks and valleys on the same day a lot of time," Hannon says. "But at the same time we hope people see it's blatantly obvious that we enjoy every minute we're up there playing." \nIt's this calmness and determination that allows the band to keep their sanity through trying times.\n"We never know what's going to come next," publicist Heather Crickenberger says. "It's really just gig to gig."\nIt's this easy-going optimism towards life that is expressed on their junior effort Halo, particularly in the song "Same but different blues":\n"Woke up this morning crazy from the heat / I put my pants on backwards and my shoes on the wrong feet / But I know that everything will be alright."\nAnd with that attitude, it probably will.
(04/26/01 5:46am)
You are a god. You've been put on an island full of villages to do as you please. What could be better? Lionhead Studio's latest release, "Black and White," sends a shock wave through the world of simulation and "god-games" with its innovative form of artificial intelligence and free-form gameplay.\nDeveloped over three years, "Black and White" gives players complete control of the game from interaction with characters to plot choice. Be it gaining power by performing miracles for a village or throwing people into the ocean, control is left to the player because the game features no preset morality standards.\nThis game is the ultimate stress reliever, often blending humorous acts with complete player control for maximum enjoyment and interactivity. The player begins by choosing a peaceful cow, a playful monkey or a wild tiger to control and later has the chance to play as other creatures such as bears, wolves, turtles and even sheep. The character will learn and develop based on the level of interaction.\nThe controls are fairly simple to learn. Players use the "hand of god" to move around the map and interact with its inhabitants. "Black and White" excels graphically as well, allowing players to observe high above the world so that townspeople are only moving specks or to zoom in so close that facial expressions are visible.\nThe AI system in "Black and White" keeps track of all actions. Players can rub a creature to reward it for a job well done or knock it to the ground with a backhand as punishment, and it will act accordingly in the future. \nThe creature's end appearance will ultimately match the personality a player has caused it to develop. It could turn out to be a rainbow-colored being of warmth and love or a dark creature decked out in spikes and fangs ready to create havoc on anything in its path.\nA little flying demon and an old man flying on a rainbow cloud act as a conscience, offering hints and trying to guide you toward the path of good or evil. After awhile I found myself wishing I could get my creature to smack these pesky critters off the screen.\nManaging a town can also be aggravating because players must assign practically everything to the townspeople to accomplish. After a while I noticed my creature was hungry, so I sent him into town and had him snack on some villagers. Two problems solved at once.\nBlending elements of strategy and real-time simulation games, along with large doses of humor, "Black and White" is both technically innovative and contains solid gameplay that is intriguing and enjoyable.
(04/26/01 5:41am)
Next time you're listening to the radio, that might not be Maynard James Keenan you think you're hearing because a Diet Coke-version of Tool has arrived in the form of Orange County, Calif.-based outfit, Downer.\nDowner's debut album features a nontraditional blend of clear yet dark vocals layered on top of gut-wrenching riffs. Musically the album is lacking in melody, but vocalist John Scott makes up for this with his soaring vocal presence.\nConceived in the cutthroat Los Angeles metal scene in the mid-'90s, opening for bands such as The Offspring and Korn, Downer has finally risen from the shadows after some personal struggles and lineup changes to release its debut album. Scott does a decent Maynard impersonation, complete with references to God.\nThe band's name is reflected in the lyrics, but at first listen the album actually sounds upbeat thanks to the vocal presentation, hence sounding like a lighter version of Tool.\nGuitarist Aaron Silberman manages to match Scott's mood, resulting in a dramatically powerful combination such as in "Savior." At times Silberman plays as if he's in Third Eye Blind.\nYears of development in the L.A. scene have allowed Downer to hone its songwriting skills and develop into a cohesive unit. The band's dissonant and moody record could easily flourish but runs the risk of being lost in the shadow of Tool's highly anticipated release.\nThe band's cause is not helped by the fact that labelmate Fear Factory's Digimortal is being released on the same day, which will likely saturate the already competitive heavy music market. \nDowner supplies the avid Tool fan with a strong album to spin between releases and creates an ominous presence on its debut album.
(04/26/01 4:00am)
Next time you're listening to the radio, that might not be Maynard James Keenan you think you're hearing because a Diet Coke-version of Tool has arrived in the form of Orange County, Calif.-based outfit, Downer.\nDowner's debut album features a nontraditional blend of clear yet dark vocals layered on top of gut-wrenching riffs. Musically the album is lacking in melody, but vocalist John Scott makes up for this with his soaring vocal presence.\nConceived in the cutthroat Los Angeles metal scene in the mid-'90s, opening for bands such as The Offspring and Korn, Downer has finally risen from the shadows after some personal struggles and lineup changes to release its debut album. Scott does a decent Maynard impersonation, complete with references to God.\nThe band's name is reflected in the lyrics, but at first listen the album actually sounds upbeat thanks to the vocal presentation, hence sounding like a lighter version of Tool.\nGuitarist Aaron Silberman manages to match Scott's mood, resulting in a dramatically powerful combination such as in "Savior." At times Silberman plays as if he's in Third Eye Blind.\nYears of development in the L.A. scene have allowed Downer to hone its songwriting skills and develop into a cohesive unit. The band's dissonant and moody record could easily flourish but runs the risk of being lost in the shadow of Tool's highly anticipated release.\nThe band's cause is not helped by the fact that labelmate Fear Factory's Digimortal is being released on the same day, which will likely saturate the already competitive heavy music market. \nDowner supplies the avid Tool fan with a strong album to spin between releases and creates an ominous presence on its debut album.
(04/26/01 4:00am)
You are a god. You've been put on an island full of villages to do as you please. What could be better? Lionhead Studio's latest release, "Black and White," sends a shock wave through the world of simulation and "god-games" with its innovative form of artificial intelligence and free-form gameplay.\nDeveloped over three years, "Black and White" gives players complete control of the game from interaction with characters to plot choice. Be it gaining power by performing miracles for a village or throwing people into the ocean, control is left to the player because the game features no preset morality standards.\nThis game is the ultimate stress reliever, often blending humorous acts with complete player control for maximum enjoyment and interactivity. The player begins by choosing a peaceful cow, a playful monkey or a wild tiger to control and later has the chance to play as other creatures such as bears, wolves, turtles and even sheep. The character will learn and develop based on the level of interaction.\nThe controls are fairly simple to learn. Players use the "hand of god" to move around the map and interact with its inhabitants. "Black and White" excels graphically as well, allowing players to observe high above the world so that townspeople are only moving specks or to zoom in so close that facial expressions are visible.\nThe AI system in "Black and White" keeps track of all actions. Players can rub a creature to reward it for a job well done or knock it to the ground with a backhand as punishment, and it will act accordingly in the future. \nThe creature's end appearance will ultimately match the personality a player has caused it to develop. It could turn out to be a rainbow-colored being of warmth and love or a dark creature decked out in spikes and fangs ready to create havoc on anything in its path.\nA little flying demon and an old man flying on a rainbow cloud act as a conscience, offering hints and trying to guide you toward the path of good or evil. After awhile I found myself wishing I could get my creature to smack these pesky critters off the screen.\nManaging a town can also be aggravating because players must assign practically everything to the townspeople to accomplish. After a while I noticed my creature was hungry, so I sent him into town and had him snack on some villagers. Two problems solved at once.\nBlending elements of strategy and real-time simulation games, along with large doses of humor, "Black and White" is both technically innovative and contains solid gameplay that is intriguing and enjoyable.
(04/20/01 5:29am)
Not every student will cheer during the traditional balloon launch celebration before the men's Little 500 race Saturday.\nThe Student Environmental Action Coalition believes the launch might be detrimental to the environment; a view not shared by many race organizers.\n"It's been documented that coastal balloon waste comes from inland sites as well, not just coastal cities," graduate student Chris Stafford, a member of the coalition, said. "According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an average of 32,000 balloons are picked up off the coasts alone each year, and it seems ridiculous that IU would want to be a part of that."\nStafford, who once rode in Little 500, was quick to point out that the city of San Francisco as well as the National Park Service, White House and U.S. Navy have all either prohibited or restricted the mass launching of balloons. \n"Balloons can drift for hundreds of miles," Stafford said. "Marine animals often mistake collapsed balloons for food and end up choking to death."\nIU Student Foundation Director Heather Anderson said the group has looked into finding a company that sold biodegradable balloons but has had no luck so far.\nThe coalition said it believes releasing balloons is no different then any other criminal offense and would like the release to be cancelled.\n"Mass littering is a crime, but apparently it is disregarded when it comes to balloons," said sophomore Courtney Gavin, a member of the coalition.\nThe coalition has proposed finding an environmentally-friendly alternative to allow the tradition to continue. The group said it plans to distribute a limited number of donated tree saplings to be planted, because the race is near Earth Day; an idea proposed by graduate student and coalition member Jennifer Hanink. In addition to the trees, the organization will distribute informational flyers at the race in hopes that support for the change will grow before next year's race.\nFor the time being, balloons will fill the sky on race day, Anderson said. \n"Because we plan our release far in advance, we're going to continue as planned," Anderson said.\nThe coalition said it has come to grips with this reality and is looking optimistically toward the future. \n"We realize that the University may have already bought supplies for this year and it may be too late to change currently, but we are working with the University Environmental Stewardship group in hopes that change will come in the future," Stafford said.\nThe group won't be alone, as Indiana Forest Alliance, Heartwood and the IU-Bloomington Greens have all expressed interest in helping find an alternative for next year's race, Stafford said. IU Student Foundation has also pledged to remain in contact with these organizations after the race to come to an acceptable solution, Anderson said.\nThe coalition stressed they were not trying to disrupt the tradition of Little 500, but were merely trying to make the tradition more sustainable and environmentally friendly.\n"Many people think that environmental groups are just out to make some kind of statement, but in the end we are trying to do what is best for the University," Gavin said.