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(01/18/01 4:35am)
It seems everyone is into digital music lately. But local funk band Danagas took digital music to the next level -- the members digitally recorded and mixed their second album, Nagaphonics, themselves.\n"If you could have seen us record this thing, it would have blown your mind," said drummer and alumnus Ryan Fitch. "We should have named it 'ghetto-phonics' for the lack of money we had to record and the physical limitations of the gear we were recording it with."\nReleased last year, the band's first album, Take It With You, featured the many original funk songs that make Danagas recognizable on the local music scene. Ideas for Nagaphonics centered on the theme of alien abduction, which is incorporated into only a few songs.\n"We couldn't stop this album from being eclectic like the previous," said Bill Hauser, saxophonist and alumnus. "However, the whole sound on this CD is somewhat different."\nBand members said digitally recording the album themselves turned out to be more difficult than they imagined.\n"Over the summer, while we were in the depths of trying to figure out how to pursue this album, I was waiting for one of us to say, 'By golly, it's just not feasible. Time to yank the plug and head into a real studio,'" Fitch said. \nWith the recording and mixing process, Fitch had the help of keyboardist Ryan Lott, who also wrote several songs on the album "almost single-handedly," Hauser said. The two used the computer programs Cakewalk and Digital Performer.\n"The two Ryans gained invaluable knowledge in this process and also learned that tons and tons of hard drive space is needed in order to pull off a feat of this magnitude," Hauser said.\nFitch said the new album represents the band's ability to make the most of its resources to create its unique sound.\n"To me, this new album is a trophy of us conquering recording technology, personal deadlines and the ability to stay focused on a project even though all of us do a gazillion things," he said.\nFitch expressed concern about the downward trend in support of original local music.\n"I really hope that this album inspires people to do what we did -- tap your resources and make some music," he said. "In today's time, it's so easy to record an album for virtually nothing. I feel there's no excuse for Bloomington not to be the underground music mecca it once was." \nNagaphonics will probably be Danagas' last album, Hauser said. Because of conflicting schedules, lives and goals Danagas will not exist much longer, Fitch said.\n"The great thing about Danagas is there's enough individual talent in this group to fuel a circus, but that also means we all can't commit to Danagas as our sole priority mission," Fitch said. "And because of this, we are coming near to the end of its rope."\nFor more information about the release party, visit www.danagas.com.
(12/01/00 4:05am)
With its enthusiastic and youthful atmosphere, Bloomington has long held the tradition of being a breeding ground for original music. From the reputable School of Music to legendary venues such as the Bluebird, the area is rich in artistic resources, and has spawned more than a few bands in its day.\nRich Hardesty enjoys the success of being called Indiana's top independent artist, and will soon make the move from Bloomington, where he has spent most of his successful musical career. \nDanagas, a popular local funk band, recognizes when Bloomington's resources are stretched to their limits. \nThree Minute Mile thrives on the local enthusiasm, while experiencing quite a streak of good fortune. \nUnderground Charmin quickly climbs up the proverbial ladder, and is on the verge of bursting onto the Bloomington scene.\nIt's true that the five members of Underground Charmin have only really been playing together since the end of the summer, but they don't let being new on the music scene in Bloomington get in their way. In fact, they would probably take offense to being labeled as merely newcomers.\nUnderground Charmin traces its roots back to early last spring, when members Trevar Mazza, Jared Landberg and Adam Pike played at a house party with former band member Judd David and a drummer. During the party, the drummer lost interest and left, but the band kept playing, eventually enlisting Matt Nawrot as the new drummer.\nThe band won the initial round of Kilroy's Battle of the Bands in March, and went on to play some of the familiar Bloomington venues such as City Grille and Dunn Meadow. But it would soon face a problem most bands don't see until much later in its career -- David decided to go solo; he quit school and left Bloomington for California.\n"After Judd left, it was totally like we started from scratch," Landberg said.\nThe band laid low over the summer -- it was without a lead guitarist, and the members were preoccupied with jobs and other things vying for their attention. But they tried out guitar players and found Geof Crouse, now a permanent member of the band.\nBack into the action after a summer off, Underground Charmin has been hitting the Bloomington music scene hard. During the weekend of the IU/Purdue football game, the band played in West Lafayette, trying to spread its name and its original sound.\nBecause they play mostly original music, cover bands are not something the members of Underground Charmin take kindly to.\n"Cover bands suck ass, and that's on the record," Mazza said. "The covers that we do, we twist them to make them our own."\n"They get 'Charmin-ized,'" Landberg agreed.\nOne of Underground Charmin's biggest challenges might be competition with cover bands that draw in a large but generic crowd covering popular artists such as Dave Matthews.\n"Coming from the person who books everything we've got, they drive me nuts," Pike said. "I have to work really hard (to get gigs) because we play all original music."\nAnother challenge the band faced during its early days was playing in bar venues when the members weren't all 21.\n"We were getting kicked out as soon as we got off the stage," Landberg said.\nBut despite these minor frustrations, the members are quick to toot the horn of the music scene in the Bloomington area.\n"It's incomparable to anywhere else in the state," Pike said.\nUnderground Charmin cites house parties and basement gigs to be the hotbed of upcoming talent in town.\n"Most Bloomington-based bands start off in the basement," Pike said. These bands can draw quite a substantial crowd, claiming they can get up to 150 people out for a house party. \nLandberg points out that Bloomington is especially good for their business.\n"It's good on jam bands and chill music, but there's not much punk or hard core (music)," he said.\nWith gigs at venues including the legendary Bluebird lined up, Underground Charmin planned to head back to the studio over Thanksgiving break. Their marketing strategy has expanded to include their recently developed Web site, www.undergroundcharmin.com. Crouse and his roommates have worked on developing the site, and try to get it listed on various databases, like farmclub.com.\nBut they say their biggest reward still comes from playing.\n"We've all got a lot of determination," Pike said.
(11/30/00 4:31am)
The Union Board seems to be doing its best to please IU's jam band fans this fall. Between the String Cheese Incident show Oct. 19 and Tuesday night's Widespread Panic concert, one might expect the next show to be jam band supreme Phish. (Too bad this group has suspended touring next year.)\nI'm relatively new to the jam band scene -- this fall's shows were my first experience with both bands, and, no, I've never seen Phish live. But I'm enjoying this new-found genre. The String Cheese Incident show was a more-than-pleasant surprise, and I expected no less of Widespread Panic.\nIt wasn't by any means a disappointing performance, but I was disappointed nonetheless. There's no denying that Widespread Panic can jam -- the classic rock rhythms with a detectable Southern twang had the audience bouncing in the aisles.\nEach song seemed longer than the previous, and each time I looked forward past the lyrics (well-written and well-sung, I'm sure, but pretty difficult to hear) to the drawn-out breakdown I knew was coming. At times, it seemed like the band almost forgot they were performing, and I felt like a privileged guest at a rehearsal where the band had decided, "Forget the set list -- let's just jam."\nSo why was I disappointed? I can't put my finger on it. The performance was good, but it wasn't electrifying. The songs had me tapping my feet, but they didn't make me want to go out and buy a Widespread Panic CD. The performance didn't offer the twists and surprises of the String Cheese show. While it might not be fair to compare the two, I was still more impressed with the live show put on by the String Cheese Incident.\nBut Widespread Panic was not without its moments. The highlight of Tuesday's show came during the second set. During one jam, Domingo "Sonny" Ortiz began what I thought would be a typical conga solo. I wish I had glanced at my watch when he started.\nDuring the next 10 minutes, the other band members left the stage, and Ortiz proved beyond a doubt that he owns the hand drums. It was like he couldn't stop -- as soon as it sounded like he was about to wrap up, he started a new beat, threw in cymbals, cowbells, and who knows what else.\nAfter what must have been at least 15 minutes (and I want to say 20), Todd Nance joined Ortiz on the standard drum set, and the endurance of their duet rivaled that of John Bonham in Led Zepplin's "Moby Dick."\nJust when I was sure the other four band members were packed up on the tour bus waiting for Ortiz and Nance to finish up, they wandered back on stage, picked up their instruments and joined back in for the end of the song.\nThe sheer stamina of Widespread Panic is perhaps one of its strongest points. They can jam for a long, long time. And while they didn't quite live up to my expectations, I admit that my standards were pretty high. Widespread Panic showed promise, and I'm more than willing to give them another chance.
(11/30/00 4:21am)
With its enthusiastic and youthful atmosphere, Bloomington has long held the tradition of being a breeding ground for original music. From the reputable School of Music to legendary venues such as the Bluebird, the area is rich in artistic resources and has spawned more than a few bands in its day.\nRich Hardesty enjoys the success of being called Indiana's top independent artist and will soon make the move from Bloomington, where he has spent most of his successful musical career. \nDanagas, a popular local funk band, recognizes when Bloomington's resources are stretched to their limits.\nThree Minute Mile thrives on the local enthusiasm, while experiencing quite a streak of good fortune. \nUnderground Charmin quickly climbs up the proverbial ladder and is on the verge of bursting onto the Bloomington scene.\nFor a band that's still shy of its first anniversary, Three Minute Mile has proven itself a child prodigy. Whether it is the talent of its members or a twist of fate, the band is speeding up the ladder of success in Bloomington.\n"Something's just driving us," said bassist Justin Leone, a sophomore.\nThe band originated when Jason Kotyski and junior Mike Stocksdale recorded an original track in their dorm bathroom and submitted it to the Live From Bloomington charity concert event. After the startling revelation that they had been chosen to record and perform, the two faced their first challenge -- to complete their band.\nA friend suggested South Carolina native Justin Seidenberg, a junior, as, a drummer, and the two agreed to try.\n"I heard (Jason and Mike) play in Willkie Quad, and a week later, we were all in the studio," Seidenberg said.\nA friend from Ball State, Kirby Oelling, filled in as the bassist during the formative months of Three Minute Mile, but after a rough outdoor show and other complications, Oelling quit the band.\n"At this point, we didn't have a bassist, which meant we couldn't book any shows for this semester, in advance," said Kotynski.\nBut he and Stocksdale had their eye on someone -- they had seen Leone play the bass with his former band, Tintern Abbey.\n"We were drooling over him," said Kotynski.\nLeone said he was not happy with his former band at that point, and when he heard that Three Minute Mile was looking for a bassist, he decided to give them a call.\n"I had seen them play, and I really dug what they were doing," he said. "I knew this band had promise -- the sound, the talent, the image."\nAnd one might say the rest is history. \n"Things have been scarily easy since then," Stocksdale said. \nAnd indeed it might seem like opportunities have been falling into the collective lap of Three Minute Mile.\nFirst was, of course, the Live From Bloomington events. Then Leone's friend happened to know a disc jockey who offered the band air time. Seidenberg's classroom conversation about the band was overheard by a committee member for IU Dance Marathon who was searching for a band to fill a last minute cancellation -- and the band was hired. And, a very important person got word of this up-and-coming band -- a man who had worked on projects such as Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and albums by The Doors.\n"Russ Castillo has the ability to take us really far," said Leone of the band's producer. "He can take a band from nothing to stardom."\nBut Castillo demands perfection, even with such a young group of musicians.\n"Sometimes he'll say, 'That won't do it,'" said Leone. "He looks at us as an investment, not like a bunch of kids."\nBeing young is a challenge the band faces on some occasions. As they begin to perform in Bloomington's traditional bar venues such as Kilroy's and The Bluebird, many of their friends who aren't yet 21 can't attend the shows. But the size of their crowd is not the important thing.\n"My favorite thing to do right now is to get up on the stage and rock out," said Stocksdale. "I don't care if there's one person there or 50."\nBut with their charismatic performances, the band does attract a substantial -- and enthusiastic -- audience.\n"With these guys, wherever we are, we seem to get the room jumping," said Leone. "People really get in to our music."\nPerhaps it's because of Three Minute Mile's alternative sound. Rather than being a jam band, they classify themselves as a pop-rock-radio band.\n"We have been called a boy band," Stocksdale admitted.\nBut don't place bets on seeing them on an *NSYNC tour.\n"We write what we feel," Kotyski said. "I'm not going to be somebody I'm not"
(11/29/00 3:37am)
With its enthusiastic and youthful atmosphere, Bloomington has long held the tradition of being a breeding ground for original music. From the reputable School of Music to legendary venues such as The Bluebird, the area is rich in artistic resources and has spawned more than a few bands in its day.\nRich Hardesty enjoys the success of being called Indiana's top independent artist, and will soon make the move from Bloomington, where he has spent most of his successful musical career. \nDanagas, a popular local funk band, also recognizes when Bloomington's resources are stretched to their limits. \nThree Minute Mile thrives on the local enthusiasm, while it experiences a streak of good fortune. \nUnderground Charmin quickly climbs up the proverbial ladder and is on the verge of bursting onto the Bloomington scene.\nDanagas has reached a crossroads of sorts in its musical career. Having been around the Bloomington music scene for two years and amassed a considerable local following, the members said they sometimes feel they have exhausted the possibilities of this confined market.\n"Bloomington is a good place to start, but once you have established yourself, get out while you can!" said bassist David Barajas. "This town goes through bands like cheap underwear."\nSaxophonist Bill Hauser agrees. "Bloomington is home to great talent, with little chance to apply it the right way," he said.\nBut in its time here, Danagas has taken full advantage of the talent and resources. Several members are graduates or students of the acclaimed IU School of Music -- in fact, that's how the core members came together.\nDanagas began when high school friends Barajas and saxophonist Glen Cavanagh got together with drummer Ryan Fitch and his roommate Hauser on saxophone -- but they lacked a keyboardist. Cavanagh asked classmate Ryan Lott to come to a rehearsal and check it out.\n"Ryan Lott blew our minds away when we jammed with him," Barajas said.\n"It was pretty unreal how our chemistry was so explosive right off the bat," Lott said. Soon after Lott was added, vocalist Iam Beck, also a music student, joined the band.\n"We originally just had him come in and do some extra vocal stuff, back-ups and whatnot," Lott said of Beck. "But it was pretty evident to all that this was one bad mamba-jamba." \nThis chemistry is what holds the band together. It had its first live performance on Halloween of 1998.\n"During that first gig, Dave was chanting 'Halloweeeen, Halloweeeen' over and over during this one jam -- it was totally lame, but we didn't know what else to do," Lott said. Since then, the band has recorded one CD, "Take It With You," and is working on the second. \nThe biggest challenge it faces isn't lack of attention or places to play -- it's getting all six of the members together, not only for rehearsal, but to see eye-to-eye on some business issues.\n"Everybody's at a crucial fork in their lives where nobody really wants to verbally say, 'Yeah, I'm ready to go out on a limb and risk it all for this band,'" Hauser said.\nThey all agree moving to a bigger market is the next step, but while some are ready to make the leap, other band members are still dealing with life issues such as finishing their degree or, in Lott's case, getting married.\n"Now that we know that this band isn't a joke and we all take it seriously, we're trying our hardest to get out of Bloomington and move up the ranks from being just another local band," Fitch said.\n"Not everybody can do the (music) business, and not everybody understands -- myself included -- how it works," Hauser said. "It's an ugly business."\nFitch, as one of the oldest members of the band, is usually the one who has to seize control of the business aspect. \n"It makes me have to run a tight ship to make sure everything is going smoothly for all of us," he said. "It's a rough job, but someone has to do it."\nBut all these challenges and decisions on the business side haven't hurt Danagas' fundamental appeal -- its music.\n"When we get together to practice, it's insane how much we get done and the new ideas we create -- if only we could practice more often," Barajas said.\nThe members don't know what awaits -- fame and fortune, perhaps, but undoubtedly at a price.\n"Ultimately, we've realized as long as we are true to the funk, it will carry us through all obstacles," Barajas said. "You cannot fake the funk"
(11/28/00 6:44am)
He's recorded six CDs and made countless live compilations. He packs college bars in Bloomington, West Lafayette, Evansville and Indianapolis. His tunes are among the most frequently played on local jukeboxes, and his show was once responsible for setting a world record for the largest amount of Jagermeister sold in one night.\nHe's Rich Hardesty, and while he might not be the next Jimmy Buffett ("I always admired the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle," he said), he's getting there -- and having a great time doing it.\n"Things happened because I chose to live an alternative lifestyle," Hardesty said. "If I fear something, I do it. I usually end up with a song or an experience that keeps me creative."\nWhat sets Hardesty apart from the crowd is his positive, laid-back attitude. He parties, he sings about partying. He visits Jamaica regularly, he sings about Jamaica. His average day includes spending quality time with his dogs, making bootleg CDs of his favorite live recordings, reading e-mails and letters from fans, and developing his marketing strategy. He said he knows bars might hire him, not for his musical ability, but for the crowd he draws.\n"The bottom line is the bar is there to sell liquor," he said. "They don't care how it gets done, as long as it gets done. If you can get that job done, then you can play whatever you want."\nMany artists view their music strictly as a form of expression, and some are bitter about the infringement of business and promotional concerns on their art. But not Hardesty.\n"You have to end up playing the business game, so be professional and treat your music career like a business," he said. "At least you will be doing something you love."\nWhile some bands see playing covers that many people recognize as a compromise to their talent, Hardesty seems to have an incredibly Zen outlook on this aspect of live performing.\n"In one night, I get to play a bunch of my own songs and also some of my favorite covers from musicians who have inspired me -- Bob Marley, the Grateful Dead, James Taylor, et cetera," he said. "The best part of my job is watching people kick back and smile."\nPerhaps his marketing sense came from the business degree he earned from the Kelley School of Business. \n "When I was 16, I thought I had to go to college, get my degree in business and kiss ass on the golf course," he said. "When I got in college, I learned that there was a way to take my hobby, passion, and love for music and make a career out of it." \nIndie-music.com calls Hardesty the best-selling independent artist in Indiana, and with sponsorships and support from national companies like Jagermeister and Sun Splash Tours, Hardesty can't complain about the business aspect of his musical career. In fact, some wonder why he hasn't made the move to a bigger market, but Hardesty has found a niche in the Midwest -- at least for now.\n"I have caught a lot of hell from East and West Coast people who say Indiana is for basketball and what am I doing here?" he said. "To make a living playing music in Indiana, you have to find a niche. I like to play at IU, but I also like to play in Jamaica, California, New York, Florida and my hometown of LaPorte (Ind.)."\nBloomington has been good to Hardesty. He is somewhat of a legend here, and said that he feels students have "adopted" him over the years. But he again admits that the college scene -- Bloomington, in particular -- is his particular niche.\n"As far as a great place for a musician to start, I think it is up to you and what your goals are," he said.\nHardesty will soon make the move from Bloomington to Indianapolis and plans to continue his regular visits to Jamaica. But who knows for sure what the future holds.\n"To get to point D, you have to stop A, B and C," he said. "Sometimes you live at C and dream about D. Sometimes you make it to D and wish you were back at A."\nIn keeping with Hardesty's relaxed way of life, he offers this advice to bands starting out: "Life is too short -- if you don't like what you're doing, change it"
(11/14/00 4:56am)
She lost her job over network television's first interracial kiss. In 1977, nurse Valerie Grant, an African-American character on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives," kissed Richard, a white character, causing a deluge of criticism from angry viewers. \nTina Andrews, the actress who played Valerie, not only lost her role on the series, but had ice water dumped over her by an upset fan in a restaurant, she said in an interview with DeNeen L. Brown in The Washington Post in February.\nThe Black Film Center/Archive and the department of Afro-American studies has brought Andrews to campus for several special events. Monday night, Andrews was the guest of a reception by the Sisters of the Yam at the African American Cultural Center. Tonight, Andrews will be present for a screening of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" and a question and answer session after the film. She has also been lecturing in several classes in the department.\nEven after her experience on "Days of Our Lives," Andrews did not turn her back on interracial relationships. She decided to research one of the older -- and more high-profile -- interracial couples, President Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. Her 15 years of research, including interviewing Hemings' descendants, resulted in the critically acclaimed miniseries "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal," which aired earlier this year on CBS.\n"Based as much as she could on history, the rest on literary license, Andrews' movie is sure to add to the Jefferson controversy as it raises fundamental questions: How can you own a sibling? How can you own a lover? How can you love someone who owns you?" wrote Brown of the miniseries.\nAndrews wrote the screenplay for the Warner Brothers film "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," which tells the story of the three wives of teen idol Frankie Lymon and their court battle over his estate.\n"The studio picked (the idea) up in 24 hours and said, 'Yes, let's make this movie immediately,'" Andrews said in a 1998 interview with Jet.\nShe has appeared on television in "Roots" and "The Brady Bunch," during her early career as an actress, and was the writer and co-executive producer for the recent CBS miniseries "Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis."\n"(Andrews) is an interesting new voice in screenwriting," said Audrey T. McCluskey, associate professor of Afro-American studies and the director of the Black Film Center/Archive. "She is very much up and coming."\nMcCluskey said, in a time when many screenwriters are men, it is a breakthrough that Andrews was asked to work on the Jackie Onassis miniseries. She is also working on a project about Coretta Scott King, wife of the late activist Martin Luther King Jr.\nAndrews' screenplay for "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" is part of the curriculum for a course on black cinema, McCluskey said. Andrews will be speaking in the class, as well as McCluskey's course, Black Women in The Diaspora, and in a course on early black writing.\n"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" will be shown at 7 p.m. in Ballantine Hall Room 109. The event is free, and a question and answer session will follow the film.
(11/03/00 4:33am)
For those who crave the blues style of Chicago, but can't afford the weekend trip, the Union Board Live From Bloomington committee has brought Chicago blues guitarist Keith Scott to campus for a free concert. The show begins at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery.\nScott said he is looking forward to the concert. "College tours are great -- I'm going to try it full time," he said.\nHe migrated north from Florida to Chicago in the early 1980s. After doing some touring, he has been on his own, writing and performing solo for about 10 years. He has played at the House of Blues many times, and recently recorded music to be used in MTV sitcoms.\nWhile he has played many college campuses in Michigan and Wisconsin, Saturday will be Scott's first performance at IU.\n"This solo show is my take on the Chicago blues standards," he said.\nJohn Efron, an associate professor of history, is an old friend of Scott. \n"He is a spectacular guitarist," Efron said. "There aren't many blues shows in Bloomington, and this is a chance to hear a real virtuoso."\nEfron himself will play with Scott during the concert. "I will sit in with him for a song or two," Efron said.\nScott said he is excited about playing with the professor.\nThe show is one in a series of free Saturday night concerts put on by the Union Board committee.\n"Scott has been a really great guy to work with," said senior Scott Fleischer, director of Live From Bloomington. "I'm really excited to see his show."\nNext week, Indianapolis grunge band Black Tooth Grin will play a free acoustic show in the IMUG, Fleischer said.\n"This is a different, original series," he said. "We're bringing Midwest talent to campus for free"
(11/02/00 3:38am)
Last year, the Union Board Fine Arts committee brought the student production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to the Bloomington community. Based on this production's success, the committee decided to try again this semester, with a staging of the musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."\n"This show has sex appeal -- it's popular and fun," said senior Karen Biddle, Union Board fine arts director and producer of the show. \nThe musical tells the story of a Texas house of ill repute, the battle between those who want to shut it down (the character Melvin P. Thorpe, a television reporter, played by Dom DeLuise in the 1982 movie) and those who will do anything to keep it open (proprietor Miss Mona, played by Dolly Parton in the movie and sheriff Ed Earl Dodd, played by Burt Reynolds in the movie).\nBiddle said the show was chosen because of the cast size, and the popular appeal of the show encouraged many students to become involved.\n"We have biochemistry, business, Spanish, HPER and music majors, to name a few, all working together on a fantastic production," Biddle said. "We have first-semester freshmen and fifth-year seniors -- it's great to be part of a project that allows such diverse participation."\nThe production features IU students exclusively and is a product of 10 months of preparation, according to a Union Board press release. \n"Students did it all," said Biddle. "There are students on both sides of the curtain -- on the stage, in the band, on the technical aspects and also in the audience."\nThe production has been financed by student money, through the student activities fees, said Biddle. It is co-sponsored by the Union Board and Residential Programs and Services.\nAll the student involvement has led to a few challenges -- and some learning experiences, Biddle said.\n"I've learned a lot about business management through this show," she said.\nSophomore Keegan Proudfoot, the properties mistress for the production, said that while inexperience wasn't a big challenge for the ensemble, access to resources was sometimes a problem.\n"It's been fun," she said. "I'm learning a lot about the hierarchy of a theatrical production, your superiors and who you need to go through."\nThe fact that many students are not primarily interested in theater as a career has added to the production, Biddle said.\n"We have an apparel merchandising major doing the costumes, which lends a whole different perspective" to that aspect of the production, she said. "It's added a lot of outside influence and is absolutely an asset to the show."\nThe Union Board fine arts committee's production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" opens at 8 p.m. today at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. The performances continue at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $11 for the general public, $8 for IU students and $5 for students living in the dorms. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster outlets.
(10/23/00 5:24am)
I almost got trampled by a fan who could not wait to see the String Cheese Incident play at the IU Auditorium Thursday night.\nIt was reminiscent of Union Station during rush hour -- people everywhere, except everyone was in good spirits. People outside, pushing and crowding to get in, people just inside the doors, fumbling for their tickets and barely pausing long enough to get their hands stamped.\nAnd once inside the Auditorium there were people dancing. Enthusiastic fans were bouncing, bobbing, weaving, jamming, grooving or at least tapping their feet to the distinctive beats of the String Cheese Incident.\nHaving never seen or heard the band, I was not sure of what to expect. All I knew was the band had some loyal fans, as more and more friends told me they knew people coming into town for the show. Homecoming might have been Saturday, but Thursday night, the population of Bloomington swelled a little in anticipation.\nWhat I had expected of the night was, as it was reported, a mixture of bluegrass, psychedelic, hip-hop and a few sounds in between. But surely the String Cheese Incident had only one area of expertise -- perhaps it would lay down some awesome reggae beats and throw in a mediocre jazz or blues piece.\nWas I ever wrong.\nThe band started the night out with some mean bluegrass finger-picking and some authentic southern fiddle playing. I couldn't have been more impressed, and neither could the audience. Although it looked more like a group of Grateful Dead fans than the Charlie Daniels Band fans, the audience appreciated the pure country-influenced sound.\nFor the rest of the night, the String Cheese Incident took us on a roller-coaster ride through its repertoire. Just when we had settled in to the jazzy bluegrass sound, it switched the instruments and mixed it up with a little hip-hop. This, in turn, bled into a psychedelic jam session, reminiscent of a Doors song, which, in turn, morphed into bouncy rock and roll, usually with a distinctive reggae beat.\nThe best thing about the music of the String Cheese Incident is that it is purely their own. While I heard little snippets of Phish, Bob Marley, the Doors, Billy Joel and others, the band pulls all the different threads together, for a seamless, unique sound.\nThe performance was complemented with a light show that was absolutely amazing. Colors were varied and vibrant, and shapes took on everything from psychedelic swirls to sharp, edgy spikes of light. The obviously well-rehearsed technical show was perfectly in sync with the talented musicians on stage.\nBetween Thursday's show and last year's performance at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., I'll safely assume that the String Cheese Incident is amassing quite a following in the Bloomington area. I already know of people who are making the long haul to Oregon for the band's New Year's concerts and celebration.\nIU is lucky Union Board brought the String Cheese Incident to campus this fall. I can only hope they'll be returning soon.\nOregon is a pretty long drive.
(09/20/00 5:18am)
A sold-out Comedy Caravan show on a Monday night at Bear's Place, 1316 E. 3rd St., is not an unusual phenomenon. \nAudience members usually have to reserve tickets for the occasion early in the day, and evening finds them crowded into the small back room of the pizza parlor, sipping "Hairy Bears" (a mixed drink involving much whiskey and some fruit juice) and draft beer.\nSome people are die-hard Comedy Caravan goers -- every Monday they reserve tickets, and after the show, they come home raving about how hard they laughed and how many "Hairy Bears" they finished. So when the opportunity arose to review the show, I thought I'd give it a try.\nThe atmosphere is casual and laid-back. Many people are there for their second or third show, and many more are regulars. Those celebrating birthdays are encouraged to drink up and enjoy themselves.\nMonday night's show featured Doug Daum as the opener, and Professor Milo as the headlining act. Before the show, audience members had a chance to submit their "most intimate relationship questions" for Professor Milo to answer. The evening turned into a satire of relationship counseling, with both comedians sharing their expertise on the differences between the sexes.\nDaum started by rehashing some current events he had heard about in the news. He seemed floored by the fact that manufacturers are now considering putting warning labels on handguns. "If you're so dumb that you need a warning label on a handgun, you're going to need someone to read it to you," he quipped.\nHe went on to share his trials and tribulations of going through a divorce, and although many in the audience weren't and had never been married, Daum's jokes drew the laughter he was looking for.\nProfessor Milo took the stage, armed with a fiddle and acoustic guitar and many canned music tracks which he used throughout his act. He is billed as "not your typical marital therapist," and he added his own unique etymology of the word: according to him, "therapist" originated as "they're a-pissed."\nMilo is a touring national act, performing regularly at the Sands in Reno, Nev., and in Las Vegas at such venues as the Riviera, Aladdin, Golden Nugget and The Rio. He has appeared at Farm Aide a Fourth of July Picnic with Willie Nelson and on television on Showtime and The Nashville Network.\nWhile the audience at Bear's was probably a lot younger than Professor Milo was used to, he didn't have any problems at all making us laugh. He pulled out song parodies like "Go Ugly Early," which some audience members remembered from "The Bob and Tom Show."\nLate in the act, Professor Milo attempted to answer the audience questions he had collected earlier in the evening. It was funnier to hear the risque questions read aloud by an older man in a cowboy hat, boots and bifocals than it was to necessarily hear how he answered the questions. Toward the end of the Q and A session, Professor Milo apparently decided the questions from the college crowd were too racy, and abandoned the stack of index cards.\nProfessor Milo closed the night with a fun sing-along, which had the audience laughing and clapping, and did a short rendition of the Macarena, complete with fiddle and bow in hand.\nWhen the lights came up in the smoky back room, the crowd was a little worse for all the empty "Hairy Bear" pitchers, but the mood was light and rowdy. Another successful week for Bloomington's best-kept comedy secret. \nFor tickets to Comedy Caravan or for more information, call Bear's Place at 339-3460. Shows are every Monday 7:15 p.m and 10:15 p.m.
(09/19/00 5:12am)
It's Ben Harper himself who declares on his Web site, www.virginrecords.com/ben_harper, that "sometimes I think to talk too much about music almost cheapens it." But Sunday night's concert at Indianapolis' Murat Theater featuring Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, with opener D.J. Logic, is an evening worth talking about.\nD.J. Logic opened with the stage filled with an assortment of instruments. To watch them spin was much more entertaining than one might imagine ' the songs were craftily built by layering sound bites and repeating loops on top of heavy, thumping beats, and adding the sounds of varied instruments including the flute, saxophone and many keyboards.\nBut the night came alive when Harper took the stage, sitting on a throne-like chair draped with an afghan. His band, the Innocent Criminals, features bassist Juan Nelson, drummer Dean Butterworth (who played shirtless) and percussionist David Leach, all of whom were on fire. \nHarper and his band recently released a new album, Burn to Shine, which was written entirely by Harper and is a product of half a year in the studio. The title track, "Burn to Shine," was among the first few songs Harper played, and was met with a more than enthusiastic reaction from the audience.\nHarper kept the set alive by constantly switching instruments, which he did between almost every song. With his acoustic guitar, Harper crooned folky favorites, like "Please Me Like You Want To," from his 1995 album Fight For Your Mind. When he held his lap guitar, his sound was a little heavier, a little more like rock and roll.\nLeach's amazing knack for percussion was featured on the bongos for the band's lively rendition of "Burn One Down," which brought the crowd to their feet. The reggae and soul influences of the musicians came out during this and several other songs.\nThe band closed its first set with the popular radio favorite, "Steal My Kisses," featuring the human beatbox. By the end, the band, led by Harper, was on their feet, abandoning the instruments and jumping up and down on top of speakers in glee, establishing a rapport with the audience that would last through the rest of the show.\nHe began interacting with the audience when, during his introduction of his band, an audience member yelled, "I love you, Dean," to Harper's drummer. During the entire exchange, Harper remained amicable and continually thanked the audience for their positive support.\nHarper returned to the stage by himself for a second set, and the audience settled down into their seats to enjoy his slower, jazzier folk style. Harper's distinctive vocals and his pure, raw emotion show more when he played by himself and illustrate the passion he very evidently feels for his music.\nOn his Web site, Harper said, "I just love music, you know what I'm saying? When you love music and you love what you do, you can only hope that people will get behind what you're doing.\nAnd music don't lie. Music is the truth. You can look into a man's eyes and know, because a man's heart is in his eyes, and music comes from the heart. You can look into a man's eyes and know if he's about music or he's just a pirate."\nFrom his heart-felt performance Sunday, Harper is definitely about music.\nThe band joined him on stage for the third and final set, which featured several cover songs. Harper and the band jammed with their rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing," an obvious favorite with the audience. One of the last numbers was an unexpected cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," which even die-hard Zeppelin fans appreciated. \nHarper stole the show with his passion for the music he played. Anyone who attended Sunday's performance is undoubtedly looking forward to their next chance to see him perform.
(09/13/00 4:42am)
The rioting crowd that surrounded Showalter Fountain Sunday not only tore the bronze fish from their moorings, but dismantled the last remaining original sculpture.\nKathy Foster, curator of 19th and 20th century art at IU, reacted with dismay. \n"I just groaned," she said. "I knew we didn't have any spare fish."\nThe fountain was commissioned in the early 1950s by Herman B Wells, then University president and was designed and created by Robert Laurent, then resident professor of sculpture. Laurent fashioned the six bronze sculptures in Rome during his time as resident sculptor at the American Academy, and they were shipped by air to Bloomington in 1958.\nSherry Rouse, curator of campus art, is responsible for Showalter Fountain and other fountains, sculptures and art not inside the IU Art Museum. Rouse said all of the fish were tampered with Sunday; four were torn from their mountings, and one was still attached, but bent below the water. This would have involved continuously bending the fish back and forth until the bronze actually cracked off, she said.\n"I was sick," she said of discovering the damage. "It is a shame that something this important to the University has been damaged. It's just shocking."\nOriginally, the design for the fountain included a flat, trophy-like fish as the centerpiece above the reclining Venus figure. But after some consideration, the committee, which included Wells, decided to replace that fish with a more animated, leaping fish. The original flat fish was kept in storage, and two new leaping dolphins were cast, one for the fountain and "an extra in case of mistakes," Foster said.\nNot long after the fountain was completed, the first bronze dolphin was swiped during festivities surrounding a basketball championship, Foster said. "These fish have been targets for merrymakers over the years," she said. It was replaced by the extra leaping fish.\nIn 1987, the last time IU basketball won an NCAA national championship, the second leaping fish was stolen, and it was replaced by the flat fish called for in the original design.\nAfter this incident, Rouse headed up an effort to recover the two leaping bronze fish. An article about the fish appeared in the IDS, the thieves to return them, no questions asked.\n"We're secretly hoping that (the fish) are in some fraternity party room with Christmas lights on them," Foster said. "We just hope they come home again."\n"We are missing two fish," Rouse said. "It's hard to believe that someone would have a 350-pound bronze fish lying around the house and not realize it."\nRouse and Foster both expressed dismay that, for the third time in its history, the Showalter Fountain has been damaged, this time by rioting Knight fans.\n"I think that Bobby Knight would not be pleased at having this done in his name," Foster said. "It's malicious. The fountain is a symbolically powerful place on campus. We need to make people wake up to its historic and artistic importance."\nRouse is working on getting financial help to restore the fountain. She said she has no estimate on what the restoration will cost, but that it will be "an expensive project." In addition to remounting the fish, she said she expects to do some conservation work on the sculptures while they are dismounted, and guessed the plumbing in the fountain is damaged and will need repair, she said.
(09/01/00 6:25am)
John Mellencamp's free performance in Woodlawn Field Thursday drew a crowd of fans, both students and community members.\n"I think it was pretty good," he said in a press conference following the show. "It was pretty hot, but nothing like Nashville was." \nThe rock star made it clear, though, that his impromptu show was by no means a concert.\n"What happened today was just the opposite of what our concerts are," Mellencamp said. \nHe said concerts are about business and promoting his music. \n"I was tired of everything being so structured in my life, tired of the music business," he said.\nMellencamp has been doing free surprise acoustic performances in various cities this month. \nHe spoke of folk musician Woody Guthrie, as the inspiration for his tour.\n"Guthrie used to go out and play for people in the fields," he said. "Now, most people work in office buildings."\nLt. Jerry Minger of the IU Police Department said between 3,000 and 10,000 people attended the performance. But he said an exact count was difficult because there was a steady flow of people in and out.\n"The crowd was outstanding," he said. "Everyone was extremely cooperative."\nLt. Col. Wayne Pollard, a professor of military science, called off his afternoon classes so his students would have a chance to see Mellencamp play.\n"This is the bigger event. Mellencamp is a big supporter (of IU), and this is our way to show our support for him," Pollard said. "We (professors) ask people to do a lot of stuff in their free time, so we can be a little understanding" when such an event comes up, he said.\nJeremy Hambrick, a sophomore, chose to attend the performance rather than his class. "Mellencamp is an Indiana tradition, the roots of Indiana," he said.\n"This doesn't happen very often," said Jeff Wright, also a sophomore.\nMeanwhile, Tim Kolar, a junior and the president of Pi Kappa Alpha, was working with other fraternity members to pass out free bottles of cold water to the crowd in the sweltering heat. The fraternity accepted donations for the water, which will be given to Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis.\n"We're trying to keep these people cold with some water," Kolar said. "We're out here doing community service at a nice free concert."\nMinger said he thought the water had prevented untold numbers of heat-related problems.\nKolar did miss class for the event, but said he e-mailed his professor, who approved his absence.\n "Hopefully, there are other teachers out there who understand," he said.\n"I think it's great that musicians who have extreme amounts of money can do this sort of thing."\n"The whole purpose (of this performance) is to lighten up their day a little," Mellencamp said during the press conference. He added that his tour of free shows was starting to resemble a job.\nWhen asked if he thought he broke the record for most students skipping class, Mellencamp said, "I doubt it, man."\nWendy Turow, a special education teacher in Indianapolis, took the day off of work to come down and see the show.\n"It's better now than it would be at night ' people can get out here and party," her husband, Ben Turow, said. "I've been a big fan for a number of years, but I've never seen an acoustic show."\nTravis Moore, a sophomore, and Jack Yates, a freshman, left the show before Mellencamp was done playing. \n"It's hot, man," Moore said. "It's just too hot out. It's dangerous."\nReed Brown and Matt Farmer of the Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service were on hand in case of a medical emergency. \n"We had a few heat-related problems, but nothing serious," Brown said. "We were prepared with that, especially with this heat."\nFarmer said that the time of day and the nature of the show didn't have them too worried. "With such a young crowd, everyone's pretty healthy. And it's during the day, so everyone's pretty sober," he said. "We'd be worried if the crowd was elderly, or if people had been consuming alcohol."\n"Everyone was in extremely high spirits," Minger said.
(08/31/00 2:36pm)
After recent surprise appearances in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and several other cities, John Mellencamp is bringing what has been called his "Good Samaritan Tour" closer to home.\nIt was announced Tuesday the Seymour, Ind., native will play a free concert at 1 p.m. today in Woodlawn Field, located at the intersection of 10th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. \n"This is an exciting, fun time to have Mellencamp back on campus," said Christopher Simpson, vice president for public affairs and government relations.\nThe announcement of the concert came as a surprise to many. \n"We learned about this when everyone else did," said Union Board President Mike Gosman. \nUB was contacted Tuesday and asked for committee members to serve as volunteer event staff, Gosman said, but added "this isn't our event in any way."\nThe first free, impromptu concert took place in Philadelphia Aug. 11. Mellencamp played a set of 10 songs to a few hundred onlookers, according to the official Web site, www.mellencamp.com. \nBut the more recent appearances have drawn considerably larger crowds. Approximately 15,000 people attended his Chicago concert ' a crowd police estimated to be the biggest assembled in Daley Plaza since the Bears' celebration of their 1986 Superbowl win, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.\nWith traffic in Bloomington already congested, the IU Police Department and Transportation Services are making efforts to ensure that everything flows smoothly around the intersection near where the concert will take place.\n"The best bet is to leave your cars at the stadium and ride the bus," said Kent McDaniel, assistant director of transportation services. "If everyone tries to drive in, no one is going to get there."\nMcDaniel said there will be no restrictions on parking at the Memorial Stadium today, and concert-goers may ride the Stadium Express bus or the A bus, both of which are free this week and will make special drops at or near the concert area.\nLt. Jerry Minger of the IUPD said it will restrict traffic on Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and 10th streets between Woodlawn and Indiana avenues. It will also close and barricade Woodlawn Avenue between Seventh and 10th streets.\nRepresentatives of both Mellencamp and the University met earlier Wednesday to discuss the possibility of moving the concert to a more accessible location that would not pose a crowd and traffic problem, said Minger and Simpson.\nDuring the meeting, Simpson said, "we realized there were great advantages to doing it in the heart of campus."\nThe concert is scheduled for mid-afternoon, a time at which many classes across the campus are scheduled to meet. Simpson said it was the only time Mellencamp could hold the show.\n"We left the timing up to (Mellencamp)," Simpson said. Between athletic events, club meetings and other campus happenings, "there are hundreds of conflicts with classes." \nHe said students were responsible enough to judge whether to attend the show, but added that if they do have a conflict, "we certainly expect them to be in class."\nGosman said, "I don't believe there are any hard and fast policies as far as when concerts take place," but that scheduling an outdoor concert during the afternoon on a class day "would be something that (the Union Board) would think about very seriously." \nDean of Students Richard McKaig said, "No one is encouraging (the students) to skip class. They will make the same choices as they do every day."\nThe volume of the concert should not be a problem, since the music will be broadcast at a "very low amplification," said McKaig. \nVolume has been a complaint at many of Mellencamp's impromptu concerts. Since the appearances are planned on very short notice, Mellencamp does not set up the elaborate sound equipment that is usually used at an outdoor concert.\n"With musical support consisting of a violinist and an accordion player and a few tiny speakers sprinkled in front of the minute temporary stage Mellencamp was on, the impromptu show ended up sounding more like an Appalachian music fest than a rock 'n' roll concert," wrote Richard L. Eldredge in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution of Mellencamp's recent performance at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.\nAccording to www. mellencamp.com, Bloomington will be the final venue for Mellencamp's free acoustic concerts . \n"I\'m not promoting anything. I got no T-shirts for sale. This is just for you guys for supporting me for the last 25 years," he told the audience at a performance Aug. 18 in Detroit, according to the Detroit News. \n"John Mellencamp is a very close friend of Indiana University and an icon in Bloomington," Simpson said in a press release. "This free acoustic concert will be a great opportunity for our students to see Bloomington's favorite rock star."\nMellencamp was the commencement speaker at IU's ceremonies last May. He received an honorary doctorate for his achievements as a musician.
(08/28/00 4:18am)
It's been the story of the summer, an inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists, a bone of contention between local merchants and city government and an eyesore in the heart of Bloomington. It's the construction that closed Kirkwood Avenue earlier this summer.\nBut Saturday night saw a new side of Kirkwood, and for the first time in a long while, people filled the street. Some stopped into local shops such as Smoothie King and Tracks. Some sipped ale in the beer garden, and most gathered around the stage at Grant Street and enjoyed the performances of musical groups Cracker, Karl Denson and others.\nBy all accounts, Hoosierfest was a success.\n"It wakes up the whole street again," said Suzanne Phillips, co-director of the festival and assistant dean of students, as she gestured to the crowd gathered to buy beer tokens. "This is really great."\nFor returning students, the festival was a chance to appreciate the improvements made to Kirkwood and to reacclimate themselves to the downtown area. For community members, it was a celebration of the re-opening of one of the main drags of Bloomington, and the return of students after the quieter summer months.\n"It's really a nice melding of the community and the students," said Philisha Nobis, a Hoosierfest volunteer. \nScott Boutwell, the manager of Smoothie King, agreed. \n"I was really surprised to see a lot of kids, a lot of families," he said. "We even gave out small smoothies for the kids."\nHoosierfest offered various family activities during the day, before turning to the college crowd at night. \n"It was mostly families and community members during daylight hours," Phillips said. "The night crowd is more college kids and adults who left the kids at home."\nSaturday's weather was ominous with several small rain showers blowing through in the afternoon, but once the rain stopped, the Hoosierfest-goers returned.\n"We had to open up an extra gate for people to come in," Nobis said. "We had a nice turnout, considering the weather."\nPhillips agreed. "It's hard to tell, since I don't have any numbers. People-wise, I'd say it's about the same, maybe down a little. It's a hot, humid evening."\nBut the exposure Hoosierfest gave the Kirkwood businesses was invaluable. \n"We (Smoothie King) have been here for eight weeks," Boutwell said. "Business was slow at first because of the construction. But for the last two weeks, business has went really well." \nBoutwell was taking advantage of the Hoosierfest crowd by giving customers a quick run-down of the Smoothie King menu and setting them up with discout cards and coupons. \n"The construction's been a headache for everyone," said Bloomington police officer Randy Gehlhausen, who was keeping an eye on the partiers. "But I definitely know that the Bloomington City Council has bent over backwards to make these major improvements."\nThese improvements will be appreciated by businesses, community members and students alike.\n"It's a nice end to a quiet summer," Phillips said.
(08/25/00 4:44am)
As soon as the street pavers are done and the backhoes are gone from Kirkwood Avenue, the workers for Hoosierfest will begin setting up. The Saturday festival features an evening of concerts and a beer garden on Kirkwood Avenue between Dunn Street and Indiana Avenue. \n"We want to roll out the red carpet and welcome the students back," said Talisha Coppock, executive director for the Commission for Bloomington Downtown.\nIn addition to kicking off the school year, this weekend's Hoosierfest will celebrate the re-opening of Kirkwood to both pedestrian and motor traffic. \n"This year is particularly exciting because we'll be celebrating the re-opening," said Suzanne Phillips, co-director of the festival. "Business (on Kirkwood) has been down, and this will help introduce the merchants to the new and returning students." Phillips also serves as the assistant dean of students for the University, and has worked with Hoosierfest since it began in 1987.\nThe main attraction will be the 40-foot stage featuring local and regional groups. Headlining the festival is Cracker, who will perform from 9:30 - 11 p.m. David Lowery of Cracker will be doing a reunion tour directly after Hoosierfest with his former band, Camper von Beethoven. Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and local group Umphrey's McGee will play from 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.\n"We tried to get a variety of music to please all kinds of people ' it's a little bit of everything," said Dave Kubiak, co-director and local club owner. "It will be pretty cool to be partying in the street."\nThe day will begin at 10 a.m., when the Star of Indiana Mini Grand Prix race will whip around the Monroe County Courthouse. Local businesses will send teams of employees to race 32 cars. Following the race is the 13th Annual Fountain Square Mall Celebration, with family activities such as clowns, magicians, a caricature artist, cookies and punch.\nThe events on Kirkwood open at 2 p.m., with live music beginning at 3 p.m. Admission is free until 4 p.m., and is $5 for the rest of the evening. \nThe musical lineup is: Daniel Cage, 3 - 4 p.m.; Shannon Curfman, 4:30 - 5:45 p.m.; Umphrey's McGee, 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.; Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, 7:45 - 9 p.m.; and Cracker, 9:30 - 11 p.m.