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(03/22/01 5:00am)
I have bleeding ears.\nWe are a generation of attractive suburbanites, raised on rock 'n' roll and music culture. We grew up on pop. Our parents were singing along to oldies and '80s radio airplay while we were in our formative years. \nWe are what we were raised on. The media is our model for life, be it dress, action or material belongings. We buy what they sell us, in various shades of plum and cherry red, orange and slate gray. We watch their moving pictures on an electrical box and fill in what we miss with their glossy pages. \nOur music is our declaration of individuality. Yet our declaration of individuality seems to fall within a range of 40 choices. We submit to boy bands and Britney Spears joyfully, while displaying a mock protest to amuse our peers. We live in an apartment filled with the latest emotional rock CDs and attend concerts of the bands that could be pureed into the same bland flavor of eggplant milkshake. \nI have a lurching stomach.\nSuddenly, the musicians start to come together. They are everywhere, in your classes, waiting on your tables and making your drinks. They ride your bus and shop at your mall. And they are angry. \nA generation of attractive suburbanites has ignored the misfits on the wayside. The lost music makers who want nothing more than to play original music and hear something unique come from the major music labels. \nThey meet in the dark, in smoke-filled bars. They are drawn to the anti-stages, the few platforms for original music in Bloomington. They practice in basements. They are music club.\nThe first rule of music club is you talk about local music. The second rule of music club is you talk about local music. The third rule of music club is the fight will never be over. The fourth rule, everyone is invited to fight. Fight for music all the time. Invent project music. \nThey dispense homemade CDs as weaponry against the cover bands and everyband radio airplay. They get gigs at the Cellar Lounge, Secret Sailor, Rhino's and a few other venues. You have names in music club. Indiana Trip Factory. Blue Moon Revue. You. Crooked County, etc.\nThere are music clubs all over the nation. Seattle, Lafayette, Austin. Musicians gather in the dark venues unattended by many a populace. And they talk about music club. And more people join.\nIn the real world, people buy a CD after watching "TRL." In the real world, Sony and Atlantic decide who will sell the most albums this year. Music club will infiltrate the real world one by one, until everyone is aware of the good music growing under their noses and around the street corner. \nCorporate and media America is seeking to control the mind of every unsuspecting sap out there, and music club is only one small, widely unsupported protester. Local musicians trying to put something new into the world.\nSupport local music, or one day we might all have bleeding ears.
(03/22/01 5:00am)
Little Joe Gould is local. The musicians are IU students, and they play guitars and stuff. But Little Joe Gould isn't that ordinary. \nWith a strong keyboard and samples backing brought by sophomore Vincent Edwards, scratchy, mellow vocals from sophomore Adam Turla and cello accompaniment courtesy of freshman Sarah Balliet, this band has a few discernable qualities. \nDiving headfirst into college rock, LJG puts a new spin on the mantra. The intense yet listener-attainable sound is attractive. Although filled with interesting lyrics, the instrumentation is the record's strongest point. \nAs dark as the scene on the album's cover is, the emotive sounds of LJG have a bit of an artistic quality, mostly drawn from the strings and keys. "Come Thursday," one of the album's strongest tunes, spins the lonely web of leaving someone behind with the influx of the band's definitive sound. Simple keyboard patterns, alternating heavy and mellow guitar bursts, melodic strings and haunting vocals piece together a portrait of the band. \nSenior Matt Armstrong on bass and sophomore Alex Schrodt on drums complete the sound with measures of unburdened rhythms. \nYet another grade-A sonic expression is "Raise the Shade," which begins with a light percussive rhythm and hypnotic keyboards and flushes out into a full song. With the lines say 'you're right'/step down/stop thinking out loud," Turla launches more lyrics that seem as natural to the instrumentals as grunge was to Seattle. \nOverall, the seven songs create a solid platform for advancement for any band. Little Joe Gould might just become bigger.
(03/22/01 4:48am)
Little Joe Gould is local. The musicians are IU students, and they play guitars and stuff. But Little Joe Gould isn't that ordinary. \nWith a strong keyboard and samples backing brought by sophomore Vincent Edwards, scratchy, mellow vocals from sophomore Adam Turla and cello accompaniment courtesy of freshman Sarah Balliet, this band has a few discernable qualities. \nDiving headfirst into college rock, LJG puts a new spin on the mantra. The intense yet listener-attainable sound is attractive. Although filled with interesting lyrics, the instrumentation is the record's strongest point. \nAs dark as the scene on the album's cover is, the emotive sounds of LJG have a bit of an artistic quality, mostly drawn from the strings and keys. "Come Thursday," one of the album's strongest tunes, spins the lonely web of leaving someone behind with the influx of the band's definitive sound. Simple keyboard patterns, alternating heavy and mellow guitar bursts, melodic strings and haunting vocals piece together a portrait of the band. \nSenior Matt Armstrong on bass and sophomore Alex Schrodt on drums complete the sound with measures of unburdened rhythms. \nYet another grade-A sonic expression is "Raise the Shade," which begins with a light percussive rhythm and hypnotic keyboards and flushes out into a full song. With the lines say 'you're right'/step down/stop thinking out loud," Turla launches more lyrics that seem as natural to the instrumentals as grunge was to Seattle. \nOverall, the seven songs create a solid platform for advancement for any band. Little Joe Gould might just become bigger.
(03/22/01 4:19am)
I have bleeding ears.\nWe are a generation of attractive suburbanites, raised on rock 'n' roll and music culture. We grew up on pop. Our parents were singing along to oldies and '80s radio airplay while we were in our formative years. \nWe are what we were raised on. The media is our model for life, be it dress, action or material belongings. We buy what they sell us, in various shades of plum and cherry red, orange and slate gray. We watch their moving pictures on an electrical box and fill in what we miss with their glossy pages. \nOur music is our declaration of individuality. Yet our declaration of individuality seems to fall within a range of 40 choices. We submit to boy bands and Britney Spears joyfully, while displaying a mock protest to amuse our peers. We live in an apartment filled with the latest emotional rock CDs and attend concerts of the bands that could be pureed into the same bland flavor of eggplant milkshake. \nI have a lurching stomach.\nSuddenly, the musicians start to come together. They are everywhere, in your classes, waiting on your tables and making your drinks. They ride your bus and shop at your mall. And they are angry. \nA generation of attractive suburbanites has ignored the misfits on the wayside. The lost music makers who want nothing more than to play original music and hear something unique come from the major music labels. \nThey meet in the dark, in smoke-filled bars. They are drawn to the anti-stages, the few platforms for original music in Bloomington. They practice in basements. They are music club.\nThe first rule of music club is you talk about local music. The second rule of music club is you talk about local music. The third rule of music club is the fight will never be over. The fourth rule, everyone is invited to fight. Fight for music all the time. Invent project music. \nThey dispense homemade CDs as weaponry against the cover bands and everyband radio airplay. They get gigs at the Cellar Lounge, Secret Sailor, Rhino's and a few other venues. You have names in music club. Indiana Trip Factory. Blue Moon Revue. You. Crooked County, etc.\nThere are music clubs all over the nation. Seattle, Lafayette, Austin. Musicians gather in the dark venues unattended by many a populace. And they talk about music club. And more people join.\nIn the real world, people buy a CD after watching "TRL." In the real world, Sony and Atlantic decide who will sell the most albums this year. Music club will infiltrate the real world one by one, until everyone is aware of the good music growing under their noses and around the street corner. \nCorporate and media America is seeking to control the mind of every unsuspecting sap out there, and music club is only one small, widely unsupported protester. Local musicians trying to put something new into the world.\nSupport local music, or one day we might all have bleeding ears.
(03/09/01 5:45am)
Beginning her speech at "75 years, eight days and 47 minutes of age," Elizabeth M. Lion, who was awarded with the "Woman of the Year" award Thursday, has influenced the community many times -- in 27 years as a professor of nursing and since retiring in 1996.\nDuring the past four years, Lion, associate professor emeritus of nursing, has increased her volunteer efforts to include volunteering at the Middle Way House, giving anonymous HIV tests at Public Health Nursing and helping at the polls during elections. \nShe is also involved with the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In an interview, Lion said she looks forward to volunteering with literacy programs in the future.\nLion said she was "completely and utterly surprised" when she learned she was to be honored as Woman of the Year. \n"I'm a feminist of long standing," Lion said. But she said the award is not just for efforts in women's activism, but also overall community involvement. \nToby Strout, director of the Middle Way House and Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women member, said she was excited that Lion received the award. Lion, Strout said, has been involved in many issues, such as multi-culturalism and the hospice, and is "quite a remarkable woman."\n"When I retired," Lion said in her speech, "I knew I was in my golden years. But they turned out to be so splendid and fine, I renamed them my platinum years. And now, with this award, I am definitely moving into kryptonite." \nLion was welcomed with a standing ovation before and after her speech. Grasping the microphone in one hand and abandoning the podium, Lion brought multiple rounds of laughter from the audience while telling her story. \nShe discussed the influence her family and friends have had, citing her mother and sister as inspirations. \n"My sister Margaret set the standards for my activism," Lion said. "Margaret said to me, 'To be alive is sufficient reason to be socially and politically involved.'"\nLion discussed her time at IU and thanked the Unitarian-Universalist Church, of which she is a member, for its support. \nAt the end of her speech, Lion pledged to make the audience "pleased and proud" in the upcoming year.\nMiddle Way House employee Amy Woods nominated Lion for the Woman of the Year award.\n"In a world of people who feel disenfranchised and impotent to make change, Elizabeth Lion proves that this is not true," she said.
(03/09/01 4:37am)
Fauziya Kassindja came to the United States from halfway around the world seeking asylum from gender-based oppression. When she arrived, she was imprisoned. \nUpon coming to the United States, she spent more than 17 months in prison before being granted asylum on appeal. This case set a national precedent for women wishing to receive asylum from gender-based persecution. \nHer former attorney told Kassindja's story and others to a roomful of people Thursday. It was part of an effort to honor women and defend women's rights worldwide, part of the purpose of International Women's Day.\nIn Bloomington, this year's celebration had myriad faces, women and men of multiple races, ages and religions in the Monroe County Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave. Local and national speakers discussed activism, equality and the rights and plights of women in the United States and abroad. More than 300 people attended. \nAfter Junior Girl Scout troops 631 and 147 performed as the color guard, Jillian Kinzie, from the Commission on the Status of Women, gave the introduction. \n"While local bookstores might feature displays of Women's History Month books in honor of this event, the observance remains relatively uncommercialized," Kinzie said. "Certainly this commemoration focuses attention on the role women play in history, as well as how women have struggled to preserve this history."\nKinzie said the first International Women's Day in the United States was held Feb. 23, 1909 by a female German socialist. After a brief disappearance of the event because of its connection with communism, International Women's Day resurfaced with full force March 8, 1968.\nAfter reading the Woman's History Month proclamation and the presentation of a local women's history month project, it was time to hear from the woman of the year.\nCarolyn VandeWiele introduced Elizabeth Margaret Lion, associate professor emeritus of nursing, to a standing ovation. \nLion spoke of her work, gratitude and the inspiration of her family and friends. \nMary Ann Cannon, a first-time luncheon attendee and Bloomington resident, said she found Lion's speech charming and inspiring. Invited by a friend, Cannon said she plans to attend luncheons in the future.\nKeynote speaker Layli Miller told her story next. A former attorney, co-author of "Do They Hear You When You Cry?" and founder of the Tahirih Justice Center, Miller spoke of her fight and the need for gender equality. \nThe Tahirih Justice Center provides free legal representation to women who face human rights abuses, as it did for Kassindja. Kassindja fled Togo at age 17 to escape a forced polygamous marriage and female genital mutilation. \nFemale genital mutilation, a tribal ritual practiced in about 30 Mideastern and African nations, can involve cuts around the clitoris, the removal of the clitoris and the removal of part of the labia minora or all the labias, in which case the wound is stitched shut. Often performed by tribal women in unsterile surroundings, female genital mutilation is done by knife, razor blade or broken pieces of glass. \nDrawing from her Baha'i faith, Miller said the equality of men and women should be seen as a bird. Each gender represents a separate wing, and the bird cannot fly straight until the wings are of equal strength. Miller said she feels the world is now in its adolescence, and a prerequisite to adulthood is the equality of men and women.\n"She (Miller) is very intelligent and knowledgeable about some of the experiences women are undergoing," said Craig Brenner, Community of Family and Resources special projects coordinator. Brenner helped organize the event.\nNew to the luncheon this year, women's organizations and female-owned businesses were invited to set up information tables on the outskirts of the Convention Center Great Room. Including the Local Council of Women, Pampered Chef and the American Business Women's Association, the exhibits will also be featured at future luncheons. \nThe 16th annual event was sponsored by the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women, the League of Women Voters, Network of Career Women, Office for Women's Affairs at IU, Bloomington Human Rights Commission and the local Baha'i community.\nLayli Miller will be signing copies of "Do They Hear You When You Cry?" 9 p.m. today at Border's Books and Music, 2634 E. Third St. She will be featured on WFHB, 93.1 and 98.1 FM, at 5:30 p.m. March 12.
(03/08/01 5:09am)
After breaking up, forming multiple other bands, getting married and going back to school, The Blake Babies are at it again. \nMarch 2001 marks the reunion of one of the primary movers in Boston's college-indie rock scene years ago. After phone calls from drummer Freda Love and a bit of persuasion, vocalist Juliana Hatfield and guitarist John Strohm signed on for one more album. \nRecorded in 10 days at Bloomington's Echo Park Studios, God Bless the Blake Babies witnesses the growth of three kids who got swept up by the scene and the industry. With maturity and a bit of a slower sound, the three pieced together a solid album of 12 tracks. \nAll members contributed to the songwriting this time around, creating a mix of rhythms and styles. Cynicism and truth lend their voices to the album, along with vocals from all three Babies and Evan Dando. Also adding to the writing credits are Ben Lee and Billy Cote.\nNot afraid to express all emotions, The Blake Babies have songs that evoke joy, despair and anger. Peppering the mix are not too heavy rhythms and a still-youthful spirit.\nThe band's alterna pop sound rings from jangly guitars, light rhythms and Hatfield's raspy voice. \n"Until I Almost Died" creates a picture of sweet sonority. Hatfield's innocent sound is used to its peak on track five, with acoustic guitar and sweeping percussive rhythms in the background. \nEnding with the electric- and effects-driven "On," Hatfield sings with a youthful perturbedness. A little lower than the rest of the tracks, The Babies end with Another wasted breath/on everything I said/it's better in a song.\nLet's hope The Blake Babies keep the songs coming.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
Crooked County was driving home from a show in Texas when the always welcome sound of police sirens echoed through the air. Worried he would be ticketed for speeding, guitarist-vocalist Jason Purnell was talking to the officer when the copper noticed the cowboy hats lining the dash.\nJason explained that he, his brother and fellow guitarist-vocalist Toby Purnell, bassist-vocalist Merrie Sloan and drummers Mark Minnick and Travis Olsson compose a country band. As innately interested in fame and music as anyone, the cop let the band leave for a promise to mention his name and a bumper sticker. \nLesson of a band No. 1: Life is good. \nReal country music is honest. It goes beyond the glam of rock or image-propelled rap and is driven by the souls of real people, whether or not they get divorced or lose their truck. Crooked County is no exception. With a mix of pick-worthy country rock and dressed-down bluegrass, the band unleashes Bloomington's finest whiskey-driven and unapologetic sound. \nThe band mixes a sweet drink with its two guitars, upright bass, dual drum kits and three-part harmonies that float down with a burn. The lyrics are punchy and delivered with alternating parts yee-haw fun and the perceptive twang of hard-life sadness.\nFormed in the mid-'90s as a bluegrass band, Crooked County soon transformed to deliver its now country rock style. \n"It kind of just grew into that, the way we were writing songs and the way we were all playing," Jason says. Toby says that the sound also transformed when the band gained its first drummer, Minnick. Olsson joined later. \nSloan threw in enticing female vocals and a solid upright bass rhythm when she joined, diversifying the formerly all-male sound. She is beauty and intensity furled into a tall frame and red hair, a fire evident in her songwriting. \nLesson of a band No. 2: Be rowdy. And sing about it.\nThe songs are the band's strength. Beyond the musical talent and energy of the band, each tune touches base with old-time country roots and the raucous of young musicians. \nNinety percent of the songs are true stories, say the writers Jason, Toby and Sloan. Spun around experience, songs off the demo from the upcoming CD, Drunkard's Lament, weave a web of personal relationships, trouble and drinking problems. The most poignant of the six, "Drunk and Gamble," came about when Jason was lying on a beach and saw a group of people crying while dropping ashes and flower petals into the ocean. \nLesson of a band No. 3: Be honest. \nThe vocals convey the lyrics perfectly. Toby is low and gravely, Jason smooth and swaying while Sloan hits the notes with feeling. The three alternate between lead and backing vocals. \nWhile it might seem that two drummers could lead to a heavy sound, Minnick and Olsson convey the opposite, swinging a solid and uncluttered rhythm.\nThe music reflects the musicians; they are as friendly and unassuming as their tunes. \nCrooked County's southern Indiana country breeds in a town that doesn't offer too much of the same. But when the group played to a packed room in the Cellar Lounge two weeks ago, the crowd was dancing and whooping. \nYet the band doesn't only have local appeal. Whiskey Burns, released in 1999, sold many copies overseas through MP3.com and MilesofMusic.com. The success helped lead to the band's record deal with Rustic Records, whose Phoenix studios was host to the recording of much of the new album.\nTo be released sometime in April, Drunkard's Lament will no doubt sell copies of the "whiskey-driven, country fried" sound. The six-song demo mixes energy with lamenting for a national release that is sure to propel the band's success. \nLesson of a band No. 4: Play real, unapologetic country music. Don't succumb to the pop market. Do what you love and push your potential. Some day: revel in success. \nCrooked County will play at the Cellar Lounge, 123 S. Walnut St., on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
Energy is heaven. No. 36, the Indianapolis show, mixes the tremendousness of one of the only old, good bands that hasn't sold out with the spontaneity of live performance and the charming commentary of Eddie Vedder.\nThrowing itself into the cheering atmosphere of Deer Creek Music Center, now called the Verizon Wireless Music Center, with the heavy "Interstellar Overdrive," Pearl Jam spans its repertoire with both classics and Binaural material.\nThe first few songs hit the ears hard and fast with fury in the music. Although explosive, the sound is executed perfectly. Vedder's screams are both enthralling and chilling. \nThe supernova that is Pearl Jam flows through every song, leaving a thankful audience in its wake. Pearl Jam's passion in the same songs once recorded in a studio is even more real and intense live. It is as if some wild animal with a grievance and a dream was let loose on the stage. But this crazy mary was blessed with rock.\nIn the heart of the first leg of the tour, this small town was witness to 29 songs of pure quality. \nPearl Jam tames the beast with a soulful rendition of "Betterman." Vedder's cool-toned voice is the loudest among many, as the entire crowd is singing along. The sad story of a girl blasts into fire at the end, with Vedder given to a flying yell with the line "Don't run away." This is definitely one of the prime tracks from the show. \nDeer Creek's night of amazement ends up with a nine-song encore after Vedder says the night is too beautiful to leave yet.\nVedder is as convinced as the roaring audience that the concert is amazing. \n"I never would have thought this about Indiana, but ... last night in Nashville it felt like hell, so Indiana feels like heaven"
(03/08/01 5:00am)
After breaking up, forming multiple other bands, getting married and going back to school, The Blake Babies are at it again. \nMarch 2001 marks the reunion of one of the primary movers in Boston's college-indie rock scene years ago. After phone calls from drummer Freda Love and a bit of persuasion, vocalist Juliana Hatfield and guitarist John Strohm signed on for one more album. \nRecorded in 10 days at Bloomington's Echo Park Studios, God Bless the Blake Babies witnesses the growth of three kids who got swept up by the scene and the industry. With maturity and a bit of a slower sound, the three pieced together a solid album of 12 tracks. \nAll members contributed to the songwriting this time around, creating a mix of rhythms and styles. Cynicism and truth lend their voices to the album, along with vocals from all three Babies and Evan Dando. Also adding to the writing credits are Ben Lee and Billy Cote.\nNot afraid to express all emotions, The Blake Babies have songs that evoke joy, despair and anger. Peppering the mix are not too heavy rhythms and a still-youthful spirit.\nThe band's alterna pop sound rings from jangly guitars, light rhythms and Hatfield's raspy voice. \n"Until I Almost Died" creates a picture of sweet sonority. Hatfield's innocent sound is used to its peak on track five, with acoustic guitar and sweeping percussive rhythms in the background. \nEnding with the electric- and effects-driven "On," Hatfield sings with a youthful perturbedness. A little lower than the rest of the tracks, The Babies end with Another wasted breath/on everything I said/it's better in a song.\nLet's hope The Blake Babies keep the songs coming.
(03/08/01 4:59am)
Energy is heaven. No. 36, the Indianapolis show, mixes the tremendousness of one of the only old, good bands that hasn't sold out with the spontaneity of live performance and the charming commentary of Eddie Vedder.\nThrowing itself into the cheering atmosphere of Deer Creek Music Center, now called the Verizon Wireless Music Center, with the heavy "Interstellar Overdrive," Pearl Jam spans its repertoire with both classics and Binaural material.\nThe first few songs hit the ears hard and fast with fury in the music. Although explosive, the sound is executed perfectly. Vedder's screams are both enthralling and chilling. \nThe supernova that is Pearl Jam flows through every song, leaving a thankful audience in its wake. Pearl Jam's passion in the same songs once recorded in a studio is even more real and intense live. It is as if some wild animal with a grievance and a dream was let loose on the stage. But this crazy mary was blessed with rock.\nIn the heart of the first leg of the tour, this small town was witness to 29 songs of pure quality. \nPearl Jam tames the beast with a soulful rendition of "Betterman." Vedder's cool-toned voice is the loudest among many, as the entire crowd is singing along. The sad story of a girl blasts into fire at the end, with Vedder given to a flying yell with the line "Don't run away." This is definitely one of the prime tracks from the show. \nDeer Creek's night of amazement ends up with a nine-song encore after Vedder says the night is too beautiful to leave yet.\nVedder is as convinced as the roaring audience that the concert is amazing. \n"I never would have thought this about Indiana, but ... last night in Nashville it felt like hell, so Indiana feels like heaven"
(03/08/01 4:40am)
Crooked County was driving home from a show in Texas when the always welcome sound of police sirens echoed through the air. Worried he would be ticketed for speeding, guitarist-vocalist Jason Purnell was talking to the officer when the copper noticed the cowboy hats lining the dash.\nJason explained that he, his brother and fellow guitarist-vocalist Toby Purnell, bassist-vocalist Merrie Sloan and drummers Mark Minnick and Travis Olsson compose a country band. As innately interested in fame and music as anyone, the cop let the band leave for a promise to mention his name and a bumper sticker. \nLesson of a band No. 1: Life is good. \nReal country music is honest. It goes beyond the glam of rock or image-propelled rap and is driven by the souls of real people, whether or not they get divorced or lose their truck. Crooked County is no exception. With a mix of pick-worthy country rock and dressed-down bluegrass, the band unleashes Bloomington's finest whiskey-driven and unapologetic sound. \nThe band mixes a sweet drink with its two guitars, upright bass, dual drum kits and three-part harmonies that float down with a burn. The lyrics are punchy and delivered with alternating parts yee-haw fun and the perceptive twang of hard-life sadness.\nFormed in the mid-'90s as a bluegrass band, Crooked County soon transformed to deliver its now country rock style. \n"It kind of just grew into that, the way we were writing songs and the way we were all playing," Jason says. Toby says that the sound also transformed when the band gained its first drummer, Minnick. Olsson joined later. \nSloan threw in enticing female vocals and a solid upright bass rhythm when she joined, diversifying the formerly all-male sound. She is beauty and intensity furled into a tall frame and red hair, a fire evident in her songwriting. \nLesson of a band No. 2: Be rowdy. And sing about it.\nThe songs are the band's strength. Beyond the musical talent and energy of the band, each tune touches base with old-time country roots and the raucous of young musicians. \nNinety percent of the songs are true stories, say the writers Jason, Toby and Sloan. Spun around experience, songs off the demo from the upcoming CD, Drunkard's Lament, weave a web of personal relationships, trouble and drinking problems. The most poignant of the six, "Drunk and Gamble," came about when Jason was lying on a beach and saw a group of people crying while dropping ashes and flower petals into the ocean. \nLesson of a band No. 3: Be honest. \nThe vocals convey the lyrics perfectly. Toby is low and gravely, Jason smooth and swaying while Sloan hits the notes with feeling. The three alternate between lead and backing vocals. \nWhile it might seem that two drummers could lead to a heavy sound, Minnick and Olsson convey the opposite, swinging a solid and uncluttered rhythm.\nThe music reflects the musicians; they are as friendly and unassuming as their tunes. \nCrooked County's southern Indiana country breeds in a town that doesn't offer too much of the same. But when the group played to a packed room in the Cellar Lounge two weeks ago, the crowd was dancing and whooping. \nYet the band doesn't only have local appeal. Whiskey Burns, released in 1999, sold many copies overseas through MP3.com and MilesofMusic.com. The success helped lead to the band's record deal with Rustic Records, whose Phoenix studios was host to the recording of much of the new album.\nTo be released sometime in April, Drunkard's Lament will no doubt sell copies of the "whiskey-driven, country fried" sound. The six-song demo mixes energy with lamenting for a national release that is sure to propel the band's success. \nLesson of a band No. 4: Play real, unapologetic country music. Don't succumb to the pop market. Do what you love and push your potential. Some day: revel in success. \nCrooked County will play at the Cellar Lounge, 123 S. Walnut St., on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.
(03/05/01 4:04am)
In May, Kerasotes closed the Von Lee Theater, 517 E. Kirkwood Ave., a long-time home to art and indie films and their fans. Now, people are speculating about the future of the building, which has been thrusting unique films into Bloomington's limelight since the 1920s.\nOne of the best future homes for the deserted theater is IU, some professors say.\nIn a memo to Vice President for Administration Terry Clapacs, Barbara Klinger, director of film and media for the department of communications and culture, lists many reasons for IU to consider the project.\n"Given the long history of film studies on this campus and the basic cultural needs of a university community of this size, I think it especially important that the Von Lee be preserved as a movie theater," Klinger wrote.\nKlinger said there isn't a place on campus to properly view 35mm films. The only screen available, the Whittenberger auditorium, has bad sight lines that prevent viewers in the rear of the auditorium from seeing the bottom third of the screen. The Neal Marshall Education Center, under construction on Jordan Avenue, will be the only venue available. \nVisiting filmmakers, IU's film studies program and the community would be able to use the Von Lee, Klinger said. \nThe option has been in discussion among administration and faculty. \n"Indiana University contacted Kerasotes for the purpose of accessing the building to inspect it to assist in determining the University's level of interest," said University Real Estate Director Lynn Coyne. She said the University has not yet decided to move forward with discussions. \n"Like everyone, we are doing our best to see if it has a fit for us," said Clapacs, who said he has been attending films at the Von Lee for 40 years.\nOne obstacle the future owners of the Von Lee will face is renovation. Clapacs estimated renovation of the theater would be $1 million in addition to the cost of purchase.\nBob Galivan, real estate representative of Kerasotes theaters in Bloomington, said there are a few other interested groups. They should have results from the evaluations in 60 to 70 days. \nGalivan said Kerasotes closed the theater because it was not up to technological standards and the abundance of other screens in the area did not make the Von Lee viable. \nKerasotes also used to own the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. When the company sold the theater to the Bloomington Arts Council, Kerasotes made the stipulation that films could not be shown there. Galivan said he did not know if this would be a stipulation for future owners of the Von Lee.
(03/01/01 5:53am)
At 58, Maceo Parker still has it going on. Spinning funk, R&B, jazz, rap and black-suit-and-tie style into an eclectic yet flowing mix, Dial Maceo is one CD that is worth the purchase. \nWith a touchtone telephone intro calling into the line Rabbits in the pea patch, catch 'em, catch 'em, the album opens with the same odd originality that is the foundation of the music.\nParker's wailing saxophone slides with energy and groove from the beginning to the end -- unless he is laying on the flute or vocals. Parker's music is the kind to dance to in a small club of black tie quality. The instrumentals suit Parker's carefree and intelligent attitude.\nVariety spices up the 12 tracks. After a spunky tune with jumping percussion, Parker easily glides into a smooth jazz romance compilation with Prince. After the sexy jazz, he moves onto a duskily chanted story of a "Black Widow," with an eerie flute backing. Next a funk track with a percussion intro, and so on.\nParker is not the only talent on the disc. Female backup vocals, including Ani DiFranco on "Coin Toss," and an amazing backup band give the album its base of spirit and spunk. The instrumentalists know how to toss the listeners up in an energetic funk and bring them back down to groove. This band has more than one trick up its suit-coat sleeve.\nWith the knowledge of age as his witness, Parker still puts a youthful vibe into his music. Using his interesting sense of humor and honest, talented musicianship, Parker has put out a more than quality album. Dial Maceo should be played on every speaker, everywhere. \nEven at frat parties.
(03/01/01 5:08am)
The Blake Babies are back. \nAfter a 10-year hiatus, vocalist Juliana Hatfield, guitarist John Strohm and drummer Freda Love are all grown up -- sort of. \nFormed in 1986, The Blake Babies broke out on the Boston music scene. Bloomington natives Strohm and his former girlfriend Love left home so Strohm could attend Berklee School of Music. The youthful pair met up with Hatfield, who must have caught their attention with her innocent, wispy voice. \nIt was instant chemistry. The trio made its name in "Boston's celebrated music scene," according to the band's biography, and did the independent, local club hopping-recording thing. Then The Blake Babies were blessed with the aspiring musician's miracle of miracles: They were discovered.\n"We were kind of an intense band, really in the sort of post-punk era," Love says. "We had really diverse influences, but we were listening to a lot of bands in common like X and the Replacements." \nThe Blake Babies also threw in some "anger, youthful exuberance and naivete."\nProducer Gary Smith of the Throwing Muses and the Pixies signed The Blake Babies to Mammoth Records, at which the band put out Earwig and Sunburn. After touring and enjoying the success of college radio, the band suffered some internal conflict, and the musicians went their separate ways.\nForward some years: Drummer Love sees Hatfield perform and remembers why The Blake Babies were a good thing. Some phone calling, persuasion ensues, and the trio decides to make another album. \nStrohm says the musicians' darkest fear is that fans would think the new album is just a weak attempt to rejuvenate their careers, although he doesn't feel that will be the sentiment. \nGod Bless The Blake Babies was recorded in 10 days at Echo Park studios in Bloomington. \n"I guess I didn't know what to expect," Love says. "We didn't have any rehearsal or really any preparation beforehand, so it kinda just unfolded really naturally."\nYet at the end, the band is happy. Without knowing whether it would even be able to create a new record, the musicians are glad to know the 12 tracks turned out well.\nStrohm says the sound had changed surprisingly little. Although it is more sad than angry, as he thought it would be, he feels the band fell into a familiar groove. His friends say, "Wow, this record really sounds like a Blake Babies record."\nBeginning this weekend at the Cellar Lounge, The Blake Babies will tour to support the new album, which will include a show in Boston and South by Southwest, a tremendous meet and greet for the music business, in Austin, Texas.\nThe new tour will also boast a new bass player, Daniel D. Johnston, a friend of Strohm's.\nAfter rehearsing for two days, the band will take the stage at the Cellar Lounge to what Strohm hopes is a good way to "ease in" to touring again. In contrast with the small bar setting, the March 9 Boston show will have a capacity of 1,200. \nSince the band's demise, the three have not been lacking in activities. Hatfield is pursuing a relatively successful solo career while Strohm and Love have been in various bands. Love plays in Mysteries of Life with her husband Jake Smith, instructs yoga, studies at IU and raises two children. Strohm is also married and attends school at the University of Alabama while pursuing various musical projects. \nStrohm says eventually he and Love both began to entertain the idea of doing something other than music for the rest of their lives. The ability to release an album and tour after the fact is "completely gravy."\nOne thought the band hasn't entertained yet is staying together after the tour. \n"Basically, we're just not really projecting ahead," Love says. "We're going to focus on promoting this record, playing the songs. Maybe if it goes well, we'll make another record. But honestly, we haven't talked about it at all. I think we just want to wait and see what it's like to be together again."\nThe Blake Babies will play Saturday at the Cellar Lounge, 123 S. Walnut St. God Bless The Blake Babies will be released Tuesday. For more tour dates and information, check out www.blakebabies.com.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
Grey Larsen's and Paddy League's talents are not green by any means. The two join forces to unintentionally fight the battle against uneducated music in their newest release, The Green House.\nLarsen, a Bloomington resident, plays a sweet style of traditional music on the Irish flute, tin whistle, anglo concertina, harmonium (a type of reed organ), field organ and piano. League adds his own twist with the bodhran, a type of drum, and guitar. \nWith a musical history beginning at age 4, Larsen's musical abilities are steeped with tradition and experience. His technical abilities are evident in all instruments. His smooth and rhythmic woodwind melodies are coupled with a tight, precise knack for embellishment. Larsen's rich tone complements his technique. Although the flute and whistle are smaller and often airy instruments, Larsen's sound fills the tracks. \nLarsen's concertina and harmonium skills are no different. On the piano, he lends a solid background to the melody. On acoustic guitar, League adds an often soft and wistful tone to the ballads and laments, with clear and low-key picking. When he handles the bodhran, League creates a punctual rhythm fit for dancing. \nThe album's simplicity is its strong point. While the musicians are skillful in many instruments, they create an uncluttered sound. Extremely favorable are the tracks with Larsen on flute or whistle and League on bodhran. \nWhat makes Irish traditional music unique is its history, which these artists acknowledge well. The extensive liner notes document the background of each of the tunes and list the instruments featured. Tracks 13-15 feature Michael J. Kennedy, an Ireland native whose repertoire consisted entirely of the tunes he learned before he moved to the United States.\nThe Green House is as valuable historically as it is musically with Larsen and League playing with talent and tradition.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
Sock it to me -- three times. \nNot only does Johnny Socko put the fun into ska and rock, but the band has friends who do the same thing. Big Rock Sounds, a compilation from Indy's Triple R Records, creates an explosive mix of Socko, The Aurelians and Chris Coolidge that leaves no room for still feet. \nJohnny Socko starts it with two slaps on the drum kit and blaring horns. Funky beats, more energetic horns and rocking guitar continue on the songs. The vocalist has stories to tell of life as a musician, growing up with crazy dreams and girls. Put it in a blender and create the Socko shake-a-sound with enough beat to skank to.\nThe Aurelians offer up just as much rhythm with more guitars and no horns. Harmonious vocals layered on the dance-worthy guitar and quick percussion spin this sound. "Current Radio Pop Guy" is a great tune commenting on the sorry state of the money and mass market-driven world. In "Vandal" the group opens up with a mellow sound and interesting samples to weave a more lilting rock. With two other songs, The Aurelians have a strong mix of sound.\nChris Coolidge's voice ranges from cool smoothness to pop edged, spilling lyrics over a foundation of guitar and percussion-riddled rock. Smart lyrics delivered with a punch complement the rockingness of the sound; when the guitars throw down fast chords, the vocals give them words. \nThree bands combine on this album for a fitting match. Instead of a group of songs, Johnny Socko, The Aurelians and Chris Coolidge combine their work for one solid, rocking and socking album.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
At 58, Maceo Parker still has it going on. Spinning funk, R&B, jazz, rap and black-suit-and-tie style into an eclectic yet flowing mix, Dial Maceo is one CD that is worth the purchase. \nWith a touchtone telephone intro calling into the line Rabbits in the pea patch, catch 'em, catch 'em, the album opens with the same odd originality that is the foundation of the music.\nParker's wailing saxophone slides with energy and groove from the beginning to the end -- unless he is laying on the flute or vocals. Parker's music is the kind to dance to in a small club of black tie quality. The instrumentals suit Parker's carefree and intelligent attitude.\nVariety spices up the 12 tracks. After a spunky tune with jumping percussion, Parker easily glides into a smooth jazz romance compilation with Prince. After the sexy jazz, he moves onto a duskily chanted story of a "Black Widow," with an eerie flute backing. Next a funk track with a percussion intro, and so on.\nParker is not the only talent on the disc. Female backup vocals, including Ani DiFranco on "Coin Toss," and an amazing backup band give the album its base of spirit and spunk. The instrumentalists know how to toss the listeners up in an energetic funk and bring them back down to groove. This band has more than one trick up its suit-coat sleeve.\nWith the knowledge of age as his witness, Parker still puts a youthful vibe into his music. Using his interesting sense of humor and honest, talented musicianship, Parker has put out a more than quality album. Dial Maceo should be played on every speaker, everywhere. \nEven at frat parties.
(03/01/01 5:00am)
The Blake Babies are back. \nAfter a 10-year hiatus, vocalist Juliana Hatfield, guitarist John Strohm and drummer Freda Love are all grown up -- sort of. \nFormed in 1986, The Blake Babies broke out on the Boston music scene. Bloomington natives Strohm and his former girlfriend Love left home so Strohm could attend Berklee School of Music. The youthful pair met up with Hatfield, who must have caught their attention with her innocent, wispy voice. \nIt was instant chemistry. The trio made its name in "Boston's celebrated music scene," according to the band's biography, and did the independent, local club hopping-recording thing. Then The Blake Babies were blessed with the aspiring musician's miracle of miracles: They were discovered.\n"We were kind of an intense band, really in the sort of post-punk era," Love says. "We had really diverse influences, but we were listening to a lot of bands in common like X and the Replacements." \nThe Blake Babies also threw in some "anger, youthful exuberance and naivete."\nProducer Gary Smith of the Throwing Muses and the Pixies signed The Blake Babies to Mammoth Records, at which the band put out Earwig and Sunburn. After touring and enjoying the success of college radio, the band suffered some internal conflict, and the musicians went their separate ways.\nForward some years: Drummer Love sees Hatfield perform and remembers why The Blake Babies were a good thing. Some phone calling, persuasion ensues, and the trio decides to make another album. \nStrohm says the musicians' darkest fear is that fans would think the new album is just a weak attempt to rejuvenate their careers, although he doesn't feel that will be the sentiment. \nGod Bless The Blake Babies was recorded in 10 days at Echo Park studios in Bloomington. \n"I guess I didn't know what to expect," Love says. "We didn't have any rehearsal or really any preparation beforehand, so it kinda just unfolded really naturally."\nYet at the end, the band is happy. Without knowing whether it would even be able to create a new record, the musicians are glad to know the 12 tracks turned out well.\nStrohm says the sound had changed surprisingly little. Although it is more sad than angry, as he thought it would be, he feels the band fell into a familiar groove. His friends say, "Wow, this record really sounds like a Blake Babies record."\nBeginning this weekend at the Cellar Lounge, The Blake Babies will tour to support the new album, which will include a show in Boston and South by Southwest, a tremendous meet and greet for the music business, in Austin, Texas.\nThe new tour will also boast a new bass player, Daniel D. Johnston, a friend of Strohm's.\nAfter rehearsing for two days, the band will take the stage at the Cellar Lounge to what Strohm hopes is a good way to "ease in" to touring again. In contrast with the small bar setting, the March 9 Boston show will have a capacity of 1,200. \nSince the band's demise, the three have not been lacking in activities. Hatfield is pursuing a relatively successful solo career while Strohm and Love have been in various bands. Love plays in Mysteries of Life with her husband Jake Smith, instructs yoga, studies at IU and raises two children. Strohm is also married and attends school at the University of Alabama while pursuing various musical projects. \nStrohm says eventually he and Love both began to entertain the idea of doing something other than music for the rest of their lives. The ability to release an album and tour after the fact is "completely gravy."\nOne thought the band hasn't entertained yet is staying together after the tour. \n"Basically, we're just not really projecting ahead," Love says. "We're going to focus on promoting this record, playing the songs. Maybe if it goes well, we'll make another record. But honestly, we haven't talked about it at all. I think we just want to wait and see what it's like to be together again."\nThe Blake Babies will play Saturday at the Cellar Lounge, 123 S. Walnut St. God Bless The Blake Babies will be released Tuesday. For more tour dates and information, check out www.blakebabies.com.
(03/01/01 4:15am)
Sock it to me -- three times. \nNot only does Johnny Socko put the fun into ska and rock, but the band has friends who do the same thing. Big Rock Sounds, a compilation from Indy's Triple R Records, creates an explosive mix of Socko, The Aurelians and Chris Coolidge that leaves no room for still feet. \nJohnny Socko starts it with two slaps on the drum kit and blaring horns. Funky beats, more energetic horns and rocking guitar continue on the songs. The vocalist has stories to tell of life as a musician, growing up with crazy dreams and girls. Put it in a blender and create the Socko shake-a-sound with enough beat to skank to.\nThe Aurelians offer up just as much rhythm with more guitars and no horns. Harmonious vocals layered on the dance-worthy guitar and quick percussion spin this sound. "Current Radio Pop Guy" is a great tune commenting on the sorry state of the money and mass market-driven world. In "Vandal" the group opens up with a mellow sound and interesting samples to weave a more lilting rock. With two other songs, The Aurelians have a strong mix of sound.\nChris Coolidge's voice ranges from cool smoothness to pop edged, spilling lyrics over a foundation of guitar and percussion-riddled rock. Smart lyrics delivered with a punch complement the rockingness of the sound; when the guitars throw down fast chords, the vocals give them words. \nThree bands combine on this album for a fitting match. Instead of a group of songs, Johnny Socko, The Aurelians and Chris Coolidge combine their work for one solid, rocking and socking album.
