Musical environmentalists play for variety and a green earth

Dave Hahn, a senior, realized he wanted to help save the world while studying marine biology in Fiji.\n"We studied the destruction of the coral reefs," Hahn says, his blue eyes earnest in the noonday sun. "When the water is too warm a reef will kill itself, so there are acres and acres of dead coral, and I had a lot of time to think. You can't look at that sort of destruction and forget about it. You feel a sense of responsibility."\nBut Hahn is also enamored by music. In an effort to combine his deep respect for the environment and music, Hahn invented Preservation Records last fall. The company will begin with Project Bloomington, a compilation album of local musicians, in which the proceeds will go toward a local environmental agency.\n"I couldn't help thinking, 'what the hell am I going to do with my life?'" Hahn admits. "And I began to think about starting a company based on music and charity and environmental protection. It brings together all my loves: travel, preserving local music and the local environment."\nHahn says Preservation Records was founded on the idea to make a faithful capsule to represent a town's local music scene, as it's difficult to get your music heard when first starting out. In addition to pooling from local musicians, Hahn also wants to work with local environmental protection agencies.\n"There's really only one rule: the fundraising must benefit the immediate environment with the help of local music," Hahn says. "The idea is to make so many small impacts that eventually they'll add up to one big one." \nIn order to make this idea a reality, Hahn, a German major, had to make many small decisions of his own in regards to the business aspect of launching a company. \n"This has taken months of preparation," Hahn says. "I've had help from a lot of people, and I'm so thankful -- I didn't know anything about employee IDs, business law, contracts, tax sheltering. You just have to ask the right people the right questions. I'm no genius, anybody can do it."\nHahn has brought aboard senior Sarah Purcell as the chief publicist. While Hahn works out the logistics, Purcell has spent the past few months talking to everyone she can. The more submissions they receive, the more polished their final product will be.\n"I work with the lawyer, the accountants and the environmental groups, but I'm only one and I can't do everything," Hahn says. "Sarah's ambitious and persistent and I needed someone like that."\nPurcell has experience with artist promotion. Last year she interned for California's Vanguard Records as part of their promotional street team, which required her to promote Vanguard musicians if they were playing a show in the southern Indiana area. \n"I already had a hand in on how things worked, which has made this easier because I already had connections made," says Purcell, who hopes to make artistic representation and promotion a career.\nHer prior connections have been helpful, but Purcell says she nonetheless spends about 25 hours a week hanging fliers or talking to local radio stations and musicians.\n"To my grave I will believe that the goal of musicians is to get their music heard," Purcell says. "With Project Bloomington they can do that without so much work, and it helps the local environment -- you can't beat that."\nAs of press time, Purcell says they have enough submissions for a full compilation, though she hopes to receive even more to ensure a really fair representation of Bloomington's music scene.\n"It's Bloomington," Purcell exclaims, laughing. "This is an extremely diverse town, so it's only fair to be representing that diversity. There are so many bands people have never heard of, who are wonderful and great and represent a different side of Bloomington. We can get the ball rolling for them."\nCameron Mizell, a senior jazz history major, says he received a mass email last month from Hahn encouraging music students to submit their work to Preservation Records. Mizell is a jazz guitarist and has been performing around Bloomington with jazz singer Matthew Gailey, a grad student. Mizell says he's happy his participation will lead toward bettering the environment, but he mainly chose to enter a submission for the resulting exposure.\n"There would be no point in making music if it was just for my own good," says Mizell of his involvement with Project Bloomington. "I didn't think I'd make music to save the planet, but I figure everyone's got their own talents. Dave really has his act together, and is really working toward that, and needed a hand from other people, so I did that."\nHahn says so far they have received some refreshingly different submissions.\n"In Bloomington a lot of genres of music have been overlooked -- acoustic bluegrass, spoken word…where are they going to play?" Hahn says. "They have no venues, and a lot are excited because they can get their music heard and it's for a good cause."\nMizell says although it's a risk, he's looking forward to his music submission sharing a CD with other artists, particularly because the final product will benefit others.\n"It's not going to make me any money," Mizell explains. "It's not making anybody money except that which goes to a good cause, so I'm cool with that."\nPurcell and Hahn agree that the response from the local music community has been nothing but positive and supportive, though finding an environmental group to collaborate with has been more of a challenge than originally expected.\n"Environmental groups are really positive, but unlike the musicians, they want to know about logistics," Hahn says. "We want to do nothing but help, we don't want to be a hindrance. They have enough responsibility and enough to worry about. I will do it for them because I care. People don't buy it though. They must look at me with a sideways glance like, what's in it for you?"\nHahn and Purcell hope to make the finished product available by mid-March. After that, Hahn says he wants Bloomington to be only the beginning. The ultimate goal, he says, is that in about 10 to 15 years from now, Preservation Records will be more than just a record label with two employees. Hahn envisions bringing his company to many different cities in America, and then even foreign nations.\n"Once we start in big countries, we'll focus on the problems in their own environment," Hahn says optimistically. "For instance, Fiji is a developing country so they can't afford to fix their own problems."\nUpon going international, Hahn says he'd like to expand the goal of Preservation Records to serve as an educational resource for children.\n"As the world gets smaller, we have to start learning more about other countries," Hahn says. "The biggest resource is not just our generation but the ones after us. I'd like to have traveling educators, to get kids interested in music, then the environment because of their interest in music, and then they'll realize problems but also be taught a positive message 'I can make a difference.'"\nHahn ultimately wants to make his living doing something he loves, something he feels passionately about, and he says Preservation Records will help him to achieve this goal.\n"Music is just this universal force," Hahn says. "Everyone loves it, and that's our most powerful tool."\nSubmissions for Project Bloomington are due Feb. 14. Interested local musicians should contact Dave Hahn (djhahn@indiana.edu) or Sarah Purcell (sacpurce@indiana.edu). For more information check http://www.preservationrecords.com.

Bracelets raise money for terrorist victims

When sophomore Whitney Bond casually adjusts herself on the Hillel Center couch, her silver bracelet jingles, drawing attention to her wrist.\nBut this bracelet is not a fashion statement; rather, it's a political statement.\nAs the co-president of Jews in Greek Life, Bond is wearing a bracelet inscribed with the name of an Israeli child killed during the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians. JIGL have sold these bracelets since Thanksgiving, as a philanthropy project. Bond says her wrist has been adorned with the bracelet every day since she bought it for three dollars.\n"I feel like I'm honoring the victim and their family, keeping their spirit alive and making sure they're not forgotten," Bond said, her eyes wide with concern. \nShe's not the only one wearing an Israeli victim bracelet -- JIGL has sold out of the 100 bracelets they ordered and are planning on getting more to meet the demand.\nNicole Guzik, the Jewish Campus Service Corps fellow, said she's thrilled with the surprisingly widespread enthusiasm.\n"The response has been so huge, we haven't expected such support. Someone bought 12 and gave them out as Hanukkah gifts," Guzik said. "We've tabled in the (Indiana Memorial) Union but moreso people come to us and ask for them."\nGuzik's round face, framed by blond hair, saddens at the mention of her bracelet, which memorializes a nine-month-old baby. But her expression changes dramatically when she explains why she bought the bracelet in the first place.\n"I've never been prouder -- to be Jewish and to support Israel as an American," Guzik said. "It unites the Jewish community, honors the victims of terror and supports Israel."\nThe bracelets were conceptualized by the Israel Solidarity Fund in September of 2000. Neil Thalheim, founder of the Fund, said since that time they have distributed close to 85,000 bracelets.\n"The funds are benefitting Israeli citizens who are victims of Arab terrorism," Thalheim said. "They're going out to people all over the country who are wearing them as a reminder of people who have been killed, which amounts to 718 as of today."\nGuzik said as far as she knows, IU is the only college involved in the project, though many synagogues across the country have been selling them. Guzik is one of 100 JCSC fellows, and she said she sent an e-mail telling the other fellow about their philanthropy.\n"I think it perked interest, as it supports the fight against terror above all else," Guzik said.\nJunior Mike Miller, co-president of JIGL, said he's eager to be involved in such a specific fundraiser.\n"There are so many different causes benefitting Israel, but with this you know exactly where and to whom the money is going," Miller said. "It puts a face and name on what's happening over there."\nFor more information, or to purchase a bracelet, contact Mike Miller (miwmille@indiana.edu) or Whitney Bond (wsbond@indiana.edu).

Austin acoustic artist comes to Bloomington

Bob Schneider sings he's "got the time" in "Bullets," off his debut solo album, Lonelyland. He's always got time for singing, as he decided years ago to drop out of art school to pursue music full time. For more than a decade he's been dedicating all of his time to making music, first with the funky Joe Rockhead, then with the jam-based Ugly Americans and finally with the rock/punk Scabs. Now Schneider is finally on his own, still playing twice a week in Austin and writing a new song every day. As he drove from the studio to his house, he talked with the IDS Weekend about keeping his head in the sand, his feet on the ground and music in his heart.\nAustin has the reputation of being the live music capital of the country, and you have the reputation of being a fixture on that scene. What does that local fan base do for your motivation?\nI'm pretty motivated. Because I play in Austin so often and people see the shows so often, I feel like I have to constantly make every show unique and different, which motivates me to write new material. \nYour music on Lonelyland has incredible diversity and range. What song best represents you musically and why?\nI think the song that best represents me musically is the one I just wrote today, and that's constantly changing. I don't know who the hell I am, and I definitely don't know what song I'm going to write next. I don't know what the show is going to be like. I'm playing in three hours and I have no idea what songs I'll play, or what tone - serious, lighthearted, rocking, mellow. I may play a bunch of dance songs or a bunch of art rock. I have no clue. I think to get an idea of what I do, you need to look at everything. I think I'm like a puzzle. If you pick one song, it's like a piece of the puzzle. Lonelyland represents one tiny portion of the puzzle.\nSo what's the biggest piece of the puzzle driving you?\nI get a rush from creating something out of nothing. One minute there's nothing, the next there's a song or drawing or a painting. I love creating things. We're going to create this music and have no idea what it's going to sound like, and that's the joy. That's what I love to do. \nHow do the (solo acoustic and band-backed) shows compare?\nThe difference between me playing with the band and acoustic is that I'm scared to death playing acoustic solo. There's such an intimacy to it. When I'm in the band I can get up there and interact and do my thing, but when it's just me I feel like I am forced to interact with the crowd more. Because of that there's more of a connection, maybe, between me and the crowd. Hopefully it will be really cool.\nYou've fronted three other bands, and now you're on your own and really developing a bigger fan base. How has life changed since you first started with Joe Rockhead?\nThere's a war against terror going on right now. Back then it was just the war on drugs and that was so successful I guess they switched. \nSo is your songwriting heavily influenced by world issues and politics?\nI am really out of the loop. I'm the ostrich with my head in the sand. Any news I need to know I'm sure I'll find out about eventually. The news is such a thin sliver of what is really going on in the world. If I were to regularly watch the news and read the paper then I would have this view of the world being this fucked-up, crazy-ass place, but when I walk around my neighborhood, there's all these people living their lives and everything's pretty hunky dory for the most part. I can't take myself that seriously or the world that seriously. To me, I think it's some gigantic insane asylum. It's so crazy -- our society, it's just crazy. I can laugh, I can cry, I get a little angry, but mostly I have to laugh. When I listen to music, the music has to make me laugh and has to make me cry. \nYour other bands didn't stay together long, so what is it about Lonelyland that's working better?\nI think with the bands it was more of a collaboration, and with the Lonelyland it's more of what I wanted to do, but was afraid to do maybe. I think ultimately I just got kind of lucky with that record. People like the record. I don't really know. \n"Bullets" has gotten radio play and also been featured in movie soundtracks. What's the story behind the song, and did you expect that track to be the most well-known?\nI didn't even know they were playing that on the radio. I don't know what the song is about. One day I just started singing, "You got the bullets and I got the time." I don't know what that means, but I like the way it sounds. Those are my favorite things, by the way -- that I don't know what they mean, but they sound cool or nice. That's what I'm shooting for. You sit there and you hope that maybe something will come to you and you write it down and you say "That's neat," but you don't know what it means. If you get enough of that, you can get some good songs. \n"Round and Round" features an opera singer, which on first listen sounds odd but really complements the song well. Where'd you get that idea?\nI'm sure I stole that idea from somewhere, but my dad is an opera singer so I grew up listening to opera and happened to have a sampler. With a lot of the songs I was writing around that time I would just sample stuff and put it in there and create loops. I don't have any master plan most of the time. If you have a master plan you have a sure-fire recipe for shit. You just have to go by instinct. \nYou talk a lot about your paintings and drawings. How do you classify your art?\nIt's surrealistic, like doodling in a way. I sit there and try to shock myself and make myself laugh, kind of the same thing I do when I'm writing a song. I try to make it interesting but I never know what it's going to be when I start out. \nDo music and art provide the same sense of energy release for you?\nThey're definitely two different pools that you draw from. Most of my energy goes into writing songs because I have to do it more often and I'm motivated to write because I play so much. Whereas with the artwork, I don't show it very often, so the motivation for doing that is less. But every once in a while, once a year, I get filled up and I have to put something down, either with copper prints or paintings.\nWhat defines a good concert for you?\nIt's the way you feel when you're there. If you get goose bumps, and you're scared to death, it's a good show. If you don't, then what's the point? I think when you see a band you should be moved. It should touch your soul. You shouldn't feel so alone in the world. It should have some kind of impact. Most of the times I see a band and I think, "How did they write these songs, there's not much connection to them?" I just don't get it. You can definitely polish a turd and dress it up in rock costumes and play real loud and maybe people won't be able to understand the lyrics and realize how unoriginal or uninspired it is. People do it all the time, but once in a while you'll see somebody where they're tapped into something unique and powerful and amazing. \nWhen did you first know that music was what you would dedicate your life to making?\nI wasn't going to do it, but I started playing in high school and college, and I kind of got seduced by the whole lifestyle. I was studying art in college, but I like to party a lot and I was really shy around women. By playing in a band you get free drugs, and free alcohol, and chicks will have sex with you, and I really just was enticed by the idea of the rock-and-roll lifestyle. Fuck, I don't know. I don't know what else to do. If I could think of something that would be cooler, I would, but I can't. I'm kind of addicted to playing.\nBob Schneider will play the Bluebird on Nov. 11 as part of his solo acoustic tour.

Austin acoustic artist comes to Bloomington

Bob Schneider sings he's "got the time" in "Bullets," off his debut solo album, Lonelyland. He's always got time for singing, as he decided years ago to drop out of art school to pursue music full time. For more than a decade he's been dedicating all of his time to making music, first with the funky Joe Rockhead, then with the jam-based Ugly Americans and finally with the rock/punk Scabs. Now Schneider is finally on his own, still playing twice a week in Austin and writing a new song every day. As he drove from the studio to his house, he talked with the IDS Weekend about keeping his head in the sand, his feet on the ground and music in his heart.\nAustin has the reputation of being the live music capital of the country, and you have the reputation of being a fixture on that scene. What does that local fan base do for your motivation?\nI'm pretty motivated. Because I play in Austin so often and people see the shows so often, I feel like I have to constantly make every show unique and different, which motivates me to write new material. \nYour music on Lonelyland has incredible diversity and range. What song best represents you musically and why?\nI think the song that best represents me musically is the one I just wrote today, and that's constantly changing. I don't know who the hell I am, and I definitely don't know what song I'm going to write next. I don't know what the show is going to be like. I'm playing in three hours and I have no idea what songs I'll play, or what tone - serious, lighthearted, rocking, mellow. I may play a bunch of dance songs or a bunch of art rock. I have no clue. I think to get an idea of what I do, you need to look at everything. I think I'm like a puzzle. If you pick one song, it's like a piece of the puzzle. Lonelyland represents one tiny portion of the puzzle.\nSo what's the biggest piece of the puzzle driving you?\nI get a rush from creating something out of nothing. One minute there's nothing, the next there's a song or drawing or a painting. I love creating things. We're going to create this music and have no idea what it's going to sound like, and that's the joy. That's what I love to do. \nHow do the (solo acoustic and band-backed) shows compare?\nThe difference between me playing with the band and acoustic is that I'm scared to death playing acoustic solo. There's such an intimacy to it. When I'm in the band I can get up there and interact and do my thing, but when it's just me I feel like I am forced to interact with the crowd more. Because of that there's more of a connection, maybe, between me and the crowd. Hopefully it will be really cool.\nYou've fronted three other bands, and now you're on your own and really developing a bigger fan base. How has life changed since you first started with Joe Rockhead?\nThere's a war against terror going on right now. Back then it was just the war on drugs and that was so successful I guess they switched. \nSo is your songwriting heavily influenced by world issues and politics?\nI am really out of the loop. I'm the ostrich with my head in the sand. Any news I need to know I'm sure I'll find out about eventually. The news is such a thin sliver of what is really going on in the world. If I were to regularly watch the news and read the paper then I would have this view of the world being this fucked-up, crazy-ass place, but when I walk around my neighborhood, there's all these people living their lives and everything's pretty hunky dory for the most part. I can't take myself that seriously or the world that seriously. To me, I think it's some gigantic insane asylum. It's so crazy -- our society, it's just crazy. I can laugh, I can cry, I get a little angry, but mostly I have to laugh. When I listen to music, the music has to make me laugh and has to make me cry. \nYour other bands didn't stay together long, so what is it about Lonelyland that's working better?\nI think with the bands it was more of a collaboration, and with the Lonelyland it's more of what I wanted to do, but was afraid to do maybe. I think ultimately I just got kind of lucky with that record. People like the record. I don't really know. \n"Bullets" has gotten radio play and also been featured in movie soundtracks. What's the story behind the song, and did you expect that track to be the most well-known?\nI didn't even know they were playing that on the radio. I don't know what the song is about. One day I just started singing, "You got the bullets and I got the time." I don't know what that means, but I like the way it sounds. Those are my favorite things, by the way -- that I don't know what they mean, but they sound cool or nice. That's what I'm shooting for. You sit there and you hope that maybe something will come to you and you write it down and you say "That's neat," but you don't know what it means. If you get enough of that, you can get some good songs. \n"Round and Round" features an opera singer, which on first listen sounds odd but really complements the song well. Where'd you get that idea?\nI'm sure I stole that idea from somewhere, but my dad is an opera singer so I grew up listening to opera and happened to have a sampler. With a lot of the songs I was writing around that time I would just sample stuff and put it in there and create loops. I don't have any master plan most of the time. If you have a master plan you have a sure-fire recipe for shit. You just have to go by instinct. \nYou talk a lot about your paintings and drawings. How do you classify your art?\nIt's surrealistic, like doodling in a way. I sit there and try to shock myself and make myself laugh, kind of the same thing I do when I'm writing a song. I try to make it interesting but I never know what it's going to be when I start out. \nDo music and art provide the same sense of energy release for you?\nThey're definitely two different pools that you draw from. Most of my energy goes into writing songs because I have to do it more often and I'm motivated to write because I play so much. Whereas with the artwork, I don't show it very often, so the motivation for doing that is less. But every once in a while, once a year, I get filled up and I have to put something down, either with copper prints or paintings.\nWhat defines a good concert for you?\nIt's the way you feel when you're there. If you get goose bumps, and you're scared to death, it's a good show. If you don't, then what's the point? I think when you see a band you should be moved. It should touch your soul. You shouldn't feel so alone in the world. It should have some kind of impact. Most of the times I see a band and I think, "How did they write these songs, there's not much connection to them?" I just don't get it. You can definitely polish a turd and dress it up in rock costumes and play real loud and maybe people won't be able to understand the lyrics and realize how unoriginal or uninspired it is. People do it all the time, but once in a while you'll see somebody where they're tapped into something unique and powerful and amazing. \nWhen did you first know that music was what you would dedicate your life to making?\nI wasn't going to do it, but I started playing in high school and college, and I kind of got seduced by the whole lifestyle. I was studying art in college, but I like to party a lot and I was really shy around women. By playing in a band you get free drugs, and free alcohol, and chicks will have sex with you, and I really just was enticed by the idea of the rock-and-roll lifestyle. Fuck, I don't know. I don't know what else to do. If I could think of something that would be cooler, I would, but I can't. I'm kind of addicted to playing.\nBob Schneider will play the Bluebird on Nov. 11 as part of his solo acoustic tour.

Music expands lives, minds

Documentaries are windows to another world. The Travel Channel takes you to Brazil, the History Channel takes you to 1776 -- VH1's "Music Behind Bars" takes you to prison, a world most of us have no access to and no knowledge of. \nPrison life is a rarely opened window except for what Hollywood chooses to portray in its blockbuster crime movies. "Scared Straight" documentarian Arnold Shapiro attempts to show us otherwise; the series focuses on music programs in three different penitentiaries in America. The program not only allows viewers to see how music can be healing for criminals, but it also illustrates what prison is like without Hollywood editing. \nAccording to an Oct. 19 Washington Post article, "O'Reilly, Convicting VH-1 for Its Prison Music Show," Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, NBC's "Today" show and CNN's Connie Chung are just some who have publicly denounced the program for glorifying criminals' lives. The concentrated criticism for "Music Behind Bars" proves that Americans want to maintain that movie image and ignore those clearly troubled citizens who live life in 5' x 5' colorless boxes and make license plates in their spare time.\nI realize some of these people are murderers, drug dealers or thieves. I realize when people commit a crime they need to pay a fine. And I'm sure just about everyone in the Kentucky State Reformatory featured in the Oct. 25 episode of "Bars" deserves to be there. \nBut they don't deserve to be completely expelled from society. According to the Buereau of Justice Statistics, 1,962,220 prisoners were held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails last year. Though we'd like to pretend that once people are jailed they no longer exist, we can't. Over a million are still there, living behind barbed wire with every moment to think about their crime. \nJail seems to be a way for Americans to pretend crime is locked away from society at large. But that's grossly untrue, as inmates are released on parole everyday. They come back. They drive cars and shop at the grocery store. \nInstead of making criminals' prison sentences miserable, why not use their sentences as a way to make them better, more civilized people? If they don't learn how to elevate their existence, they may commit crimes again, and then their prison time and Americans' tax dollars have been in vain. Most criminals come from lower income households; according to the BJS only about 35 percent of inmates have completed high school. Their poverty doesn't allow them to learn a musical instrument, and their crumbling school system probably doesn't even have a music program. Most likely, they have never been shown the positive energy of creative expression. Instead, they channel their energy negatively toward violence or drugs, as they don't know what else to do. Their environment is only partially responsible for their behavior -- clearly if someone breaks the law, they are accountable for their actions and should suffer the consequences. \nSo these troubled souls land themselves in jail. But at prisons where musical expression is taught and encouraged, these men are finding therapy for their conscience and hope for their future. \n"Music Behind Bars" is not glamorizing their life, or making the new rock star fashion statement prison fatigues. It's evident after only two minutes of the program that their way of life is wretched and mind-numbingly dull. I refuse to believe that some impressionable 14-year-old child is watching this program at 10:30 at night thinking he aspires to sing in a prison group when grows up. \n"Music Behind Bars" is important to watch because its focus is not about living a constrained life, but rather on how music expands the lives and minds of prisoners. It shows that music can heal the spirit. I commend these prisons for allowing criminals to do something positive with their time and for trying to make their prisoners into better people. And I commend VH-1 for taking a risk and opening a window that Americans would rather keep closed.

Reality bites into Bloomington

Junior Kimberli Owens is going through an introspective phase in her life -- she believes being one of the select seven to make it on "Real World" will help her through it. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkle beneath her trendy Target glasses as she explains that Saturday's "Real World"/"Road Rules" casting call was so important she skipped out on a mandatory RA meeting in Indianapolis.\n"I'm just trying to find my place in the world," Owens says, her giant smile revealing two dimples in her flawless brown skin. "I find that I learn more from interacting with people than from sitting in the classroom, so ("The Real World") would be an educational environment."\nOver 800 people showed up at Kilroy's Sports Bar Saturday to audition for season 13 in Paris, casting director Marc Levine said. Some showed up as early as 7 a.m.; by 10 a.m., the line was already snaking around the perimeter of the building. Some looked tired and comfortable in IU sweatshirts, while others looked like they had just walked out of the glossy pages of an Abercrombie catalogue. Some appeared alternative in baggy jeans and funky hats and some wore hip-hugging jeans that would make even Britney Spears jealous.\n"I don't like to generalize, but for the most part there were a lot of opinionated people here," Levine says. "A lot of people from Indiana, a lot of people who like to have a good time."\nDressed casually in a white oxford shirt, tie and loose-fitting jeans, junior Jason Gehlhausen would classify himself as one of these fun-loving people. He traveled to Chicago last year and waited in line for seven hours for a chance to prove himself worthy to MTV casting directors. And he's back for a second chance.\n"Being on the 'Real World' would give me the opportunity to present everything about myself -- intelligence, lunacy and a whole lot of sarcasm," he says. A baby blue golf hat covers his short brown hair, and he adjusts his Lennon-esque glasses. \n"I'm often told I remind people too much of Puck; I guess that's my downfall," he says, exhaling slowly from his cigarette. "I've been blown up, run over…before 'Jackass' came out, that was me and my friends in high school: doing stupid shit and taping it. Last week I shaved my body head to toe for a glam rock party."\nI tell him that's slightly crazy.\nLaughing, Gehlhausen says, "Yeah, that's what my psychiatrist has told me."\nNot everyone at Saturday's casting call admitted to a crazy lifestyle. Dressed simply in jeans and a black T-shirt, senior Heather Walchle acknowledges she's pretty normal. She grew up in the small town of Decatur, Ind., and has never left America. Her life's not perfect -- her parents are divorced -- but she says for the most part her friendly and responsible demeanor indicates her non-dramatic life.\n"I'm all up for a free place to stay because I need to pay back my student loans," she says, pushing her smooth ginger hair out of her green eyes. "Also, I want to go out and experience my life somewhere else. I want to live somewhere far away on my own."\nSenior Jeff Birch sits across the table and nods in agreement with Walchle, whom he met 30 minutes earlier. Birch studied abroad last semester in Mastrich, Netherlands and consequently has a much broader perspective.\n"We've got both ends of the spectrum here," Birch says, laughing. "We could cause a lot of drama."\nDrama is certainly something "The Real World" is known for. The show has dealt with such issues as AIDS, abortion, homosexuality, race and sex for 12 years now. \nLet's examine the latest batch of drama -- within 5 days of living in the penthouse of a Las Vegas hotel and casino (because that's such a normal lifestyle for 20-somethings) two housemates are already hooking up, and on the fourth night after first meeting a third joins in on the thrills in a bathtub, while the other roommates watch in disbelief. They've been drunk approximately 65 percent of the time and are also working at a nightclub planning parties. MTV clearly has a tendency to choose extreme personalities to create such drama, but Birch says he still believes otherwise.\n"People come in here and think, 'What can I do to make myself unique and special?' but normalcy is what they're looking for," he says while scratching his 5 o'clock shadow, a result of a late night.\nBirch says he's auditioning for "The Real World" more for the experience; he doubts he'll be chosen, but knows he would regret not trying.\n"Anything could happen," Birch says. "And IU's got an awesome, diverse campus. I don't know what they look for, but someone's bound to go."\nWhat casting director Levine says he didn't expect to see was someone do the "Worm," a classic '80s dance move, which he says was the craziest thing he saw all day.\n"That will not make or break somebody, we need more substance than that, but it's nice to see spontaneity," Levine says. "We look for dynamic personalities; we look for people who are charismatic, energetic, have opinions and are not afraid to voice them."\nOwens, originally from Rockford, Ill., certainly fits this mold -- so much so that she made the "Final Fifteen." After the first group interview Saturday, she was asked to fill out a 16-page, in-depth application ("a biography of Kimberli") that she spent more than three hours completing. Late Saturday, casting directors called Owens to notify her she had been selected for yet another round of interviewing. So on Sunday, Owens ventured to Eagle Point Golf Course for a videotaped interview that lasted an hour.\n"I really don't know how they make their decision. I'm just happy that I fulfilled the requirements of what they base it on," Owens says. "But I think it's how you interact with other people, play off of other people, that helps to shape the decision of who will stay."\nShe says the camera didn't inhibit her at all during the interview.\n"I told myself I would not be one of the crying interviewees, and I broke down crying," Owens says. "They asked me something very stirring, and so I broke down crying. But I quickly calmed myself down."\nOwens' next step involves a bit more creativity. MTV wants her to create a 5-to-10 minute videotape that will best represent her.\n"(Being on the Real World) will be damn fun," Owens says. "It will be such a cultural experience -- once in a lifetime"

While hiking through Griffy Lake Nature Preserve Saturday, Professor Scott Sanders, the group leader, stops to talk about a feode he found on the trail.

Americans don't know enough

As the month of September began, Americans quietly prepared for the anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack in our history. And when the 11th arrived, most of us watched at least one of the hundreds of special television programs, or read at least one of the thousands of newspaper articles. We may have remembered Sept. 11 in different ways, but as Americans we all stood together in solidarity; as Americans last Wednesday was a time for us to grieve together, as one nation, as one people.\nBut we were not the only nation to grieve. In watching the rest of the world, it became clear the shockwaves Sept. 11 created extended far beyond America\'s boundaries. According to a Sept. 12 article from the London Times Online, much of the world remembered with us. \nIn Australia, well before any American got out of bed, 3,000 people gathered on the beach at Surfers\' Paradise in Queensland and formed a human version of our flag, visible from miles above.\n"It's not just America's war, because terrorism can strike any country, including Australia," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in a Sept. 12 article of the London Times Online, "Hostility rears its head as nations join global tribute," by Charles Bremner.\nIn Europe, displays of support continued throughout. In Pisa, Italy, the leaning tower was adorned with a white banner that read: "From the Tower to the towers. September 11, 2002. Memory, solidarity and peace."\nParis projected twin laser beams -- representing the World Trade Center -- into the night sky. In Kosovo, people lit candles on the streets. More than 180 choirs around the world marked the anniversary with a "rolling" performance of Mozart's Requiem that continued across multiple time zones.\nClearly the world is not only knowledgeable about but also compassionate toward America. One would think that we too would display the same respect for other cultures and other histories. And yet, as a country we so often fail to recognize the importance of understanding other cultures. \nI did not realize how culturally unaware Americans can be until I lived in another country. Last semester I studied abroad in Prague. I returned home with a hugely different perspective on life and humanity, as I was immersed in so many different cultures during my five months away. I also returned home to find a majority of people have no idea where Prague is, nor that it's not in Czechoslovakia; Czechoslovakia was dissolved in 1992 and the Czech Republic and Slovakia were established instead. Prague is in the Czech Republic.\nSure this is a minor lapse in historical knowledge, but it is representative of the fact that Americans don't know enough about the world. Although we are not faced with a barrage of other cultures like Europeans are, it is still no excuse. \nI have to admit while reading the London Times, I felt guilty that so many countries demonstrated support and sympathy for our healing nation on Sept. 11 and yet we so rarely show the same respect to other cultures of the world.\nWhile backpacking through Europe, we ended up having to spend the night in the Bern, Switzerland train station. We were beginning to regret our decision to save money by not staying in a hostel when we luckily met a couple security guards, Ramon and Daniel, who we hung out with the entire night until their shift ended at 5 a.m. I can definitively say that I learned more from their conversation than in an entire month in Prague. We talked about culture, politics, education, music, America. Ramon not only spoke impeccable English, but also German, Italian, French and Swiss-German. And he knew more about American history than I did.\nAt one point he said, "Just do me one favor -- spread the word that the globe is bigger than the states." \nIn analyzing his words, I realized their truth. We may be the super power of the world, we may have the most freedom of any nation and we may have mastered the art of capitalism, but if America were a contestant on Jeopardy with Spain and Switzerland, we'd no doubt lose. \nLet the show of the world's support on Sept. 11 be a wake-up call. Re-read your sixth-grade world history book. Pick up a New York Times more often than never. Flip through the pages of National Geographic. Realize that our world is so much larger than the country we live in. Realize that our differences deserve celebration and appreciation.

Awakening to tragedy

Eight freshmen from the East Coast sat entranced by the 13-inch television in McNutt Quad Crone 200, completely unaware that a ninth had wandered in with an armful of food in an attempt to lighten the somber mood.\nThe large pile of snacks sat untouched in the center of the floor, as their appetites seemed unimportant compared to watching the coverage of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington.\nLeaning closer to the television, which was filled with scenes of the wreckage and chaos in the cities, Jillian Kahn, a freshman, tersely asked her friends to "please not talk right now." Her eyes did not drift away from the television screen as she voiced this request. \nThe dull ring of a cell phone disrupted the silence in the room, and they all reached for their phones to ensure they remained in constant contact with their family and friends. It turned out to be a reporter's cell phone on television.\nShaking her head and rubbing her temples to ease her swelling headache, Kahn said, "It's a relief to hear my family is OK, but the city you live in is in destruction. I just wish I was home right now."\nLainie Goldstein, a freshman, said she is worried about what's going on at home, but she's relieved to be in Indiana during such an emergency.\n"To be honest," Goldstein said, "I feel safer here than anywhere else."\nThe tension in the room and the dried tears on the faces of these freshmen is evidence that IU's student population that originates from New York has been left in shambles because of this tragedy.\nDownstairs in McNutt Bordner Ground, sounds of news anchors filled the hallways, as almost every room had their television tuned to remain up-to-date with the situation on the east coast. \nCharlie Geier, a freshman from Richmond, Ind., sat alone in his dorm room, strumming his guitar while watching the World Trade Center emit billows of thick smoke.\n"(Playing guitar) is a way to ease my mind because this is just so crazy," Geier said, the pleasant guitar chords a sharp contrast to the grave sounds coming from the news broadcast. "It's obviously devastating. It makes me angry, makes you want to just enlist and help out. I think most guys feel like that."\nHis neighbors sat quietly in their room, the glow of the television the only visible sign of electricity. Joel Riethmiller, a freshman from Fort Wayne, said he was in complete shock upon learning of the World Trade Center situation but didn't quite understand the magnitude of what happened.\n"Walking out of here and seeing people in tears with their cell phones -- that's when it started to hit me," he said.\nIt was lunch time several blocks away in Wright Food Court. Though many students appeared to be talking casually -- eating pizza and drinking coffee -- at least 30 people were crowded around the big-screen TV, mindlessly chewing their food while digesting the latest news update of the terrorist attacks in New York.\nSophomore Greg Stamm sat alone against the wall, seemingly unaware of anything around him except the television broadcast.\n"My mind automatically assumed it wasn't as bad as it initially appeared to be," Stamm said. "But after watching for a couple hours, it dwarfs anything else I've ever seen on TV." \nEarlier in the day, the Greek community was just waking up to the news that America was under attack. It was unusually quiet in Alpha Epsilon Pi and news broadcasts echoed through the hallways. Pajama-clad fraternity members and their girlfriends crowded on the couches of a room on the second floor, their eyes squinted from a mixture of sadness and sleep. \n"I'm pretty disturbed," sophomore Justin Gurney said. "The way I see it, this is by far the craziest thing that's ever happened. Here I am, worried about a test, and these people just died…I can't put it into words."\nDown the hall, New Jersey native Mike Levy was curled up in a blanket while shifting his attention from his cell phone to the television. The sophomore said he was immediately terrified because both his parents work in the city -- he confirmed they're both OK. \n"One of my brothers came to wake me up, and I've never been more scared in my life," Levy admitted. "I've been trying to call everyone, and my friend in D.C. said everything there is out of control. Their classes have been canceled, and they're just sitting around trying to figure out what to do."\nSeven-hundred miles from the tragedy, IU students are also experiencing uncertainty.\nDown the street in Alpha Epsilon Phi, girls had come home from their first morning class to watch the news surrounded by the support of their friends. Five girls are sitting on the bed in such bewilderment they all begin speaking at once when asked what they're feeling.\n"My God, how could anything like this happen in our lifetime," junior Lindsey Deitchman said. "You can't express it in words, you can only feel it -- the aching, the disgust."\nCassie Feldman nodded her head in agreement, her red hair pulled back from her tear-stained face. \n"My best friend lives in the city, but it's not really a question of her safety as much as how horrifying it must be to be there," Feldman said. "It's on American soil, and it's terrifying."

Live from Bloomington

For the 16th year, the Live From Bloomington program is offering a diverse mixture of the local bands' music through its Club Night and compilation CD. The project features country, blues, rock and roll, folk and punk music from community musicians to benefit charity.\nThis year's title, "Feed the Hungry \nthrough the Power of Music," expresses the essence of the project, which donates all proceeds to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, 615 N. Fairview.\nJunior Martin Gimenez, program director, said the charitable efforts of Live From Bloomington make it an exceptional project.\n"A lot of college campuses do a compilation CD, but few have the distinct goal of helping a local food bank, which is the primary goal of LFB," he said.\nHe said working with the food bank is a personally rewarding experience.\n"We get to really help society," he said. "It was most fun when we talked with Dan Taylor of the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, who is so grateful for everyone's help. You can see the manifestation of our effort and gain a direct feeling to what it's about."\nBut it's the power of music that helps to feed the hungry. Gimenez said the variety and power of Bloomington's music is evident in the CD.\n"Diversity is incredibly important because it chronicles our music history," he said. "Knowing where we come from and where we're going is the thread that holds this all together."\nWorking closely on the project allowed Gimenez an intimate look into how students expand upon their sound, he said. Giminez said he realizes the average person won't be able to understand this first hand, but those who come to Club Night will gain a better understanding of the talent in Bloomington.\n"It's a night all about the music," he said. "Let your hair down and just enjoy some awesome music."\nZEB GOULD\nAssociate degree student Zeb Gould is the only solo act involved in Live From Bloomington. He describes his music as American finger-style guitar with a folk rhythm.\nGould, 24, has played the guitar ever since he noticed his father's acoustic guitar at age 12.\n"But I also started because my friend had an electric guitar, and I thought 'That's what I'm going to do, be a rock star,'" he said, laughing. "He taught me every Metallica song, but a year or two later, I heard fingerstyle blues guitar, thought it was really cool and started doing that."\nThe audio-engineering major said his biggest motivation in making music is to heighten his self-expression.\n"It's so odd to just be here," he said of his growth as a musician. "When I picked up the instrument, I knew the impact of music, and it expanded from there … the idea of the guitar, I felt like I understood it right away."\nAssociate degree student Sam Crawford said he finds a lot of meaning in Gould's music. He met Gould while taking a class together. Crawford said their similar interests in music drew them together. Crawford helped produce Gould's song featured on the Live From Bloomington CD.\n"It's a unique sort of sound; it's got this wash that floods over you when you listen to it," he said. "It's almost like listening to an ensemble piece, but it's just one person … As a guitar player, Zeb blows me away every time I see him play."\nCrawford said Gould's music adds a solid, different element.\n"He has a real affable personality that comes across really well when he's playing," he said. "Aside from the instrumental pieces, he writes a lot of lyrical pieces. He covers the whole gamut of music."\nGould said while he's excited about his involvement with Live From Bloomington, he's also excited about the cause of the event.\n"When you're playing more for the music (than money) it'll be more fun in general -- it increases the overall excitement of playing music," he said.\nIll Capitan\nIll Capitan has been making music since attending Brown County High School together. \nLindsey Evans, an alumnus and the lead singer of the band, described Ill Capitan as a three-piece rock and roll band.\n"It's the most we can do with that, a lot of energy to that," he said. "We have punk, alternative, blues and country influences."\nSince the band's inception several years ago, they have evolved and improved, Drummer Chris Phillips said.\n"We've gotten better at unspoken communication while playing; we're feeling more comfortable and we're not afraid to try something different," Phillips said. \nEvans said in addition to showing off the energy of Ill Capitan, he is happy to be able to help those in the community.\n"The food bank helps out a lot, and I myself have been needy at some time, so I know what it's like," he said. "It's good to help out people who are less fortunate -- it's great that the community is profiting off of this, and not just one person."\nEvans said the band has experienced several difficulties, which makes performing now even sweeter. Evans said the unity of Ill Capitan is something he values and differentiates their band from the crowd.\n"All three of us have had incidents, natural or self-inflicted, that have caused us to be apart from each other," he said. "But we've become better friends because we've had to help each other through that. And through all of that, the music has persevered. When the three of us perform together, it is like an energy release."\nThe Dew Daddies\nThe Dew Daddies are not fresh-faced to the ways of Bloomington.\nIn fact, although the five-piece band has been together for six years, four of the members are lifetime Bloomington natives who have known each other for decades.\nAndy Ruff, 38, said he remembers when his brother first played early Live From Bloomington recordings -- on vinyl.\n"For someone who is a lifetime resident here, born and raised, is probably going to have a different take on any event," the singer and songwriter said. "To me, I see it as a tradition. I can step back and see all of it … I have a different sense of what it means to the community."\nHe describes his band's music as "straight, traditional, classic honkey-tonk American country music."\nRuff, a city council member, said he has followed the 16-year development of the project, which makes it special for him.\n"When we found out we were in, I gave a loud woop and a holler," he said. \nBut Ruff said the song featured on the CD, "I've Had It," is not representative of their best artistic efforts but rather their style.\n"It's not artwork, it's just a hardcore, kick-you-in-the-butt traditional country song, which is my favorite kind of music," he said.\nGimenez said he disagreed. "I've Had It" is unconventional and fresh, he said.\n"It's a hyper-fast country ditty," he said. "Instead of just being a sappy country song, it's cynical and amusing."\nSenior Andy Bruce, who is the only member still in college, sings harmony for the group. \n"We put out a self-produced CD, which shows we're not looking for a record contract, but that we are doing it because we just want to make the music," Bruce said. "If people like it -- great, if not, the music is for us."\nRuff said to come to the show with an open mind.\n"That garbage you hear on the radio is not what we're talking about here -- we're about playing this music the way it's supposed to be played."\nOnly Infinity\nAlumnus Jay McKenna said he believes Bloomington's music scene surpasses that of Chicago.\n"The (adjacent) states don't have a quality of musicians that Bloomington has, due to the fact that we're next to the IU School of Music," he said. \nMcKenna, the drummer, said he would have to define Only Infinity's sound by its major influences, which range from the Beatles to Dave Matthews Band, Snoop Dogg to Stevie Wonder.\nLuke Petty, the guitarist, said he was thrilled to be able to record their heavily influenced, but also original, music. Their song, "Marbles and Stones," is featured on the Live From Bloomington CD.\n"It was exciting to record the song," Petty said. "It was our first time recording and was definitely a positive experience that helps you grow musically and form as a group. You get a lot tighter in the studio."\nMcKenna said although the band is tight-knit, their individual strengths are evident.\nThe ebb and flow of the band's variety of music is best experienced live, McKenna said.\n"The best thing is when the crowd and the band are in lock and key," he said. "When the audience knows what journey Only Infinity is taking them on, they'll jump up and down with us and that means they're in the groove. And when they're in the groove, you can get into the beat just a bit more than if you're in a practice room."\nSCHEDULE OF EVENTS:\n10:15 p.m., Bluebird Nightclub, 216 N. Walnut St.\nMode Street\nSally Anthony\nDanagas\n9 p.m., Cellar Lounge, \n123 S. Walnut St.\nUtopia Blue\nThe Dew Daddies\nZeb Gould\nCrooked County

The power of music

A dark-haired man in a worn-in Grateful Dead T-shirt sits on a blanket, bobbing his dreadlocked head up and down to the beat provided by Blue Moon Revue. To his right, an older, slightly balding man stands, gently tapping his foot to the music. To his left, two golden retrievers chase each other around in circles, eventually running after a young barefoot girl, her long brown hair windblown over her smiling face. Below her, the green grass blew in the wind while the blue but cloudy sky illuminates all of Dunn Meadow Saturday for this year's Calmfest.\n"It's definitely a huge plus to get all sorts of people from different backgrounds and age groups to come together and strongly support a cause," said Jeff Shiffman, drummer for Indiana Trip Factory.\nIn its fifth year, Calmfest was the biggest and most fun festival the organization has put together, said Michael Truelove, event coordinator and Citizens Alliance for the Legalization of Marijuana founder. \nThe festival included music from seven bands, including Blue Moon Revue, Indiana Trip Factory and Alma Azul and numerous speakers including Truelove himself. The combination of speeches and music provided attendants with entertainment and information to encourage legalization of marijuana and better drug laws.\nSophomore Matt Frick, percussionist and banjo player for Blue Moon Revue, said he was overwhelmed by the crowd, which Truelove estimated to be more than 500 people.\n"I believe in supporting local music, and it's even better to have music supporting a great cause," Frick said.\nJunior Jesse McQuarters, bassist for Indiana Trip Factory, said as a student and musician, he was invigorated by the carefree community formed by the diverse crowd.\n"For me, personally, I draw so much inspiration from (the crowd)," he said. "It's so for-the-moment and inspirational … it just helps to give us energy and give that energy back to the audience."\nShiffman said another motivation for him to participate in Calmfest was the potential for social action.\n"People need to understand that a big part of the CALM movement is the hemp movement as well," Shiffman said. "People need to realize what a strength hemp would be to our industry and environment, which I think is the most important message."\nMcQuarters agreed with Shiffman, and said when he wasn't performing, he danced to the other performers and interacted with the crowd, trying to meet as many different people as possible to gain a fresh perspective.\n"It's very important to be educated about all the issues," McQuarters said. "Legalization is very controversial … you've got to be informed about it, know both sides of the story, and try to learn as much as you can so that when you go out you can make an informed statement."\nFreshman Stephanie Solomon said the diversity and progressive attitudes that permeated the audience impressed her.\n"I think it was wonderful because it didn't just attract the people that would stereotypically associate with an event like Calmfest," she said. "Rather, it's about more people who realize the cause is more than just crazy hippies who want to smoke pot, but actually a really serious issue."\nSolomon said although she enjoyed the informative and commercial booths that were set up, she liked the music the most.\n"It was a good representation of a lot of the things that are happening in Bloomington right now," she said. "The community that was at Calmfest is the part of IU that I like best -- really open and free spirited"

Brit-style pop has compelling introspective side

If you don't listen closely, you might think the first track of David Mead's Mine and Yours is a Radiohead album in disguise, with undertones of Britain's pop artist Jason Falkner. But if you listen more carefully, Mead's sweet, high-pitched voice is laced with insight and optimism, proving he is his own musician.\nOverall, Mine and Yours combines an impressive variety of sounds -- ranging from slow and somber to rhythmic and hopeful -- but the album fails to completely avoid the common manufactured sound of today's mainstream pop music. Nonetheless, Mead's lyrics provide a depth that most pop music lacks, thus giving his music a compelling sound worthy of listening to at least once. \nSeveral tracks are beautiful, containing lyrics you can identify with and beats that require listening to over and over again. But Mine and Yours also contains several tracks where the poignant lyrics are lost in the annoying melody and too-shrill lead vocals of Mead. Songs like "Girl On The Roof" and "Flamin' Angel" are painfully monotonous.\nThe fourth track, "Echoes Of The Heart," sounds dark and ominous, but as the chorus repeats, "Not a sound, then it starts/Something speaks from the dark/Not a voice/Only echoes of a heart," the song is immediately colored with a more uplifting sound.\nMead also showcases his ability to reach a crazy amount of high notes as his voice constructs the beautiful rhythms of "No One Left To Blame." "Comfort" has a meditating instrumental sound, as Mead's voice truly conveys the human need for comfort. "We're talking trash again like long sedated lovers/Baby what's become of us/A latent memory of Southern spring and summer/Maybe Winter in New York," suggests the universal issue of relationships in trouble.\nIn contrast to these slower, introspective songs, Mead also shows a more upbeat side with "Mine And Yours" and "Venus Again," both of which sound like they belong on the aforementioned Falkner's first album, Author Unknown. The most unique sounding song "Elodie" is reminiscent of the United States' Peter Salett and Scotland's Belle and Sebastian, with a syrupy-sweet rhythm and soft drum beats that keep the song moving.\nMead's Mine and Yours is certainly worth listening to, but will most likely not stay in my stereo for long.

Students hit hard by attack on nation

Eight freshmen from the East Coast sat entranced by the 13-inch television in McNutt Quad Crone 200, completely unaware that a ninth had wandered in with an armful of food in an attempt to lighten the somber mood. \nThe large pile of snacks sat untouched in the center of the floor, as their appetites seemed unimportant compared to watching the coverage of Tuesday's terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.\nLeaning closer to the television, which was filled with scenes of the wreckage and chaos in the cities, Jillian Kahn, a freshman, tersely asked her friends to "please not talk right now." Her eyes did not drift away from the television screen as she voiced this request. \nThe dull ring of a cell phone disrupted the silence in the room and they all reached for their phones to ensure they remained in constant contact with their family and friends. It turned out to be a reporter's cell phone on TV. \nShaking her head and rubbing her temples to ease her swelling headache, Kahn said, "It's a relief to hear my family is OK, but the city you live in is in destruction. I just wish I was home right now."\nLainie Goldstein, a freshman, said she is worried about what's going on at home, but she's relieved to be in Indiana during such an emergency.\n"To be honest," Goldstein said, "I feel safer here than anywhere else."\nThe tension in the room and the dried tears on the faces of these freshmen is evidence that IU's student population that originates from New York has been left in shambles because of this tragedy.\nDownstairs in McNutt Bordner Ground, sounds of news anchors filled the hallways, as almost every room had their television tuned to remain up-to-date with the situation on the east coast. \nCharlie Geier, a freshman from Richmond, Ind., sat alone in his dorm room, strumming his guitar while watching the World Trade Center emit billows of thick smoke.\n"(Playing guitar) is a way to ease my mind because this is just so crazy," Geier said, the pleasant guitar chords a sharp contrast to the grave sounds coming from the news broadcast. "It's obviously devastating. It makes me angry, makes you want to just enlist and help out. I think most guys feel like that."\nHis neighbors sat quietly in their room, the glow of the television the only visible sign of electricity. Joel Riethmiller, a freshman from Fort Wayne, said he was in complete shock upon learning of the World Trade Center situation but didn't quite understand the magnitude of what happened.\n"Walking out of here and seeing people in tears with their cell phones -- that's when it started to hit me," he said.\nIt was lunch time several blocks away in Wright Food Court. Though many students appeared to be talking casually -- eating pizza and drinking coffee -- at least 30 people were crowded around the big-screen TV, mindlessly chewing their food while digesting the latest news update of the terrorist attacks in New York.\nSophomore Greg Stamm sat alone against the wall, seemingly unaware of anything around him except the television broadcast.\n"My mind automatically assumed it wasn't as bad as it initially appeared to be," Stamm said. "But after watching for a couple hours, it dwarfs anything else I've ever seen on TV." \nEarlier in the day, the Greek community was just waking up to the news that America was under attack. It was unusually quiet in Alpha Epsilon Pi and news broadcasts echoed through the hallways. Pajama-clad fraternity members and their girlfriends crowded on the couches of a room on the second floor, their eyes squinted from a mixture of sadness and sleep. \n"I'm pretty disturbed," sophomore Justin Gurney said. "The way I see it, this is by far the craziest thing that's ever happened. Here I am, worried about a test, and these people just died…I can't put it into words."\nDown the hall, New Jersey native Mike Levy was curled up in a blanket while shifting his attention from his cell phone to the television. The sophomore said he was immediately terrified because both his parents work in the City -- he confirmed they're both OK. \n"One of my brothers came to wake me up, and I've never been more scared in my life," Levy admitted. "I've been trying to call everyone, and my friend in D.C. said everything there is out of control. Their classes have been cancelled and they're just sitting around trying to figure out what to do."\nSeven-hundred miles from the tragedy, IU students are also experiencing uncertainty.\nDown the street in Alpha Epsilon Phi, girls had come home from their first morning class to watch the news surrounded by the support of their friends. Five girls are sitting on the bed in such bewilderment they all begin speaking at once when asked what they're feeling.\n"My God, how could anything like this happen in our lifetime," junior Lindsey Deitchman exclaimed. "You can't express it in words, you can only feel it -- the aching, the disgust."\nCassie Feldman nodded her head in agreement, her red hair pulled back from her tear-stained face. \n"My best friend lives in the City, but it's not really a question of her safety as much as how horrifying it must be to be there," Feldman said. "It's on American soil and it's terrifying."\nThey are interrupted by sophomores Stephanie Isaacs and Alissa Feldman who wander into the room in mid-conversation. Isaacs had a cell phone up to her ear as she said, "My legs are numb right now."\nAlissa Feldman added, "The world will never be the same again."\nEven on campus, students found ways to access a television. On the mezzanine floor of the Indiana Memorial Union, students were silent. The usual lunchtime chatter was muted as students gathered around TVs in the Commons and stood on chairs straining to see above the crowd. The e-mail stations were also crowded, long lines forming as students craved e-mail updates from home.\nJunior Kelly Gwin was waiting to e-mail friends working in downtown NY, and has not heard from them yet.\n"I've been on campus all day so I haven't heard much, but it's awful," she said. "I just want to talk to my friends."\nSenior Dave Fingerhut woke up in his off-campus apartment this morning to news of the assault on the World Trade Centers, incapable of pushing a growing fear out of his mind.\nFingerhut is from New York City, and his parents still live and work there. He tried to get in contact with his parents, and at first was unsuccessful, but eventually reached his mother, who had made it back home safely and also learned that his father was safe in his office building downtown. While Fingerhut plans on staying here in Bloomington instead of going home, he doubts that this is the end of this event.\n"I think this is going to result in more deaths and swift political retribution," he said. "This is a major wake up call for the U.S., and will have huge political repercussions. Things are never going to be the same."\nStaff reporters Holly Johnson and Brian Longly contributed to this story.

'Essence' shared tonight

In the past, Lucinda Williams would spend years perfecting the lyrics, rhythms and melodies of her songs before she stepped into the studio to record them, as the uncompromising singer-songwriter would settle for nothing less than perfection. But her latest album, Essence, was written at Williams' kitchen table during a short, intense six-week burst of creativity and has been praised just as highly as her earlier works that took three times as long to complete.\nAt 8 p.m. today, Williams brings her essence to Axis Nightclub, 419 N. Walnut St. Tickets are $23.\nProfessor Glenn Gass, who teaches two courses in the history of rock and roll, admitted he's a big fan of the Grammy award-winning musician. He said as an avid listener of Williams' music, he hears a strong world view in her lyrics that she colors with layers of Americana, but cannot be classified in any one genre. \n"Lucinda was roots rock before roots rock was cool, or Americana or whatever tag -- she's not country, she's not folk, she's not rock -- but she mixes them easily," Gass said. "She's got such a great voice, and puts it out in this off-hand conversational way. There's an intimacy to her … There's a humanity to her music. It's a great antidote to Britney Spears and 'NSync. She's the essence of rock and roll -- you count on one hand the number of people who are as vital as she is. And now is the perfect time to see her. Right now is her moment."\nThat may be true, but Williams has been having "moments" for more than 20 years. Born in 1953 in Louisiana to artistic parents (her father was poet Miller Williams and her mother was a pianist), she grew up listening to Bob Dylan and Loretta Lynn. At 17, she dropped out of school to pursue her music and in 1979 released her first album. She has since been awarded two Grammys, the most recent for her fifth album, 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Essence is her first release since that success. To top it all off, in the summer Time Magazine named Williams "America's Best Songwriter."\nJim Ziegler, program director of WTTS 92.3 and an afternoon DJ, said the station has been trying to give Essence more radio play than Williams has received in the past. Not only is Ziegler a fan, but he also thinks like Gass -- he revels in Williams' unique sound that is rare in today's mainstream music world.\n"She certainly sings from the heart, and her music has a very passionate side to it, and it's very alluring," Ziegler said. "From a lyrical standpoint, her songs have a lot of meaning, and I think when you listen to Lucinda Williams, you get a real window into what she's all about, which is something that you don't necessarily see with every artist on the radio these days."\nTo help promote the show, Ziegler said WTTS will raffle an autographed guitar -- everyone who goes to the show will get a free raffle ticket and there will be a drawing at end of the show.\n"I went to her concert Sunday night in Indianapolis and I had a chance to spend some time with her after the show," Ziegler said. "She's really down to earth. We obviously talked about her and her new album, but we also spent some time talking about how the terrorist attacks have affected the concert scene … She's just like everyone else. And even though she's won two Grammys and has some phenomenal music, she's still a real person. I think that it was enlightening to talk to her about everything else that's going on outside of music."\nDave Kubiak, owner of Axis and Bluebird, said he's thrilled about what's going on inside Williams' music, as he said he thinks there are very few people who can write and sing music as well as she does.\n"Lucinda is considered one of the best songwriters in America," Kubiak said. "Anytime you can get a person on that level, you seize that opportunity."\nProfessor Gass hopes to be able to seize the opportunity, as he has not seen Williams recently, but he may have a class conflict.\n"Currently, from what I've heard now, she's a real dynamic performer," Gass said. "She's found her confidence, and I think that's the whole point of Essence. I think she's really got a swagger right now, instead of that crippling self-doubt that used to color her songs, and I can't think of a more perfect time to be seeing her. It's nice that a show like this is coming to town. We need more of this"

BEST RESTAURANT • 1. Malibu Grill

The weather in Bloomington may fluctuate, but the warmth that emanates from Malibu Grill is undeniably consistent and year-round. \nA staple on the square, Malibu Grill has been serving Bloomington for seven years (and with two locations in Indianapolis for nine years). Manager John Bailey has been proudly involved with the restaurant since its inception and is giddy with excitement at being named Bloomington's Best Restaurant.\n"We give our clientele what they ask for -- that's what makes us a favorite," Bailey says. "Every week we read the comment cards, and we go out of our way to take them into consideration."\nMalibu Grill is not only involved with its customers, but also with the University. They do all the pregame meals for women's basketball and also provide recruiting dinners for numerous IU sports teams. Bailey points to a plaque the soccer team presented the restaurant last year to thank them for their support and involvement.\nBailey then motions to the Wall of Fame, which consists of three walls decorated with framed photographs of regulars and locally famous people who have dined at Malibu. \n"We're always spending time with guests," Bailey says. "We have a large and devoted cast of regulars. They feel like it's home."\nJunior Rachael Rugh identifies with Bailey's comfortable description of the restaurant. Born in Bloomington, Rugh began enjoying Malibu's cuisine with her parents many years ago.\n"It's this cute little restaurant with a great atmosphere and great food that I really enjoy coming to," Rugh says. "It's a great experience and a very inviting place to eat."\nRugh admits though she attempts to vary her order, she typically opts for her favorite, the spicy shrimp scallops. Bailey, on the other hand, cites his favorite item on the menu as the more mild caramelized salmon. \n"When eight people come to the restaurant, everyone can find something on the menu to eat," he says.\nBailey gestures casually to Jason Shoulders, the new kitchen manager who will be responsible for Malibu's new additions soon-to-decorate the menu in the form of "Chef's Specials." Shoulders has been working at Malibu Grill for three years but only recently has stepped up and taken charge. He says he's most excited to introduce the horseradish crusted red snapper.\n"My favorite thing is to talk to people, see what they like, and then throw that together," Shoulders says smiling. \nShoulders admits his favorite item on the menu is the lime chicken fettuccini ("It's always wonderful -- I don't understand how I never get tired of eating it.") and says he's not surprised Malibu Grill is a student favorite.\n"First of all, we serve great food, fresh food," Shoulders says. "No one should ever walk out of here feeling unsatisfied. It's priced affordably so you won't blow out your wallet. And the staff knows what they're doing and cares about what they're doing"

BEST RESTAURANT • 1. Malibu Grill

The weather in Bloomington may fluctuate, but the warmth that emanates from Malibu Grill is undeniably consistent and year-round. \nA staple on the square, Malibu Grill has been serving Bloomington for seven years (and with two locations in Indianapolis for nine years). Manager John Bailey has been proudly involved with the restaurant since its inception and is giddy with excitement at being named Bloomington's Best Restaurant.\n"We give our clientele what they ask for -- that's what makes us a favorite," Bailey says. "Every week we read the comment cards, and we go out of our way to take them into consideration."\nMalibu Grill is not only involved with its customers, but also with the University. They do all the pregame meals for women's basketball and also provide recruiting dinners for numerous IU sports teams. Bailey points to a plaque the soccer team presented the restaurant last year to thank them for their support and involvement.\nBailey then motions to the Wall of Fame, which consists of three walls decorated with framed photographs of regulars and locally famous people who have dined at Malibu. \n"We're always spending time with guests," Bailey says. "We have a large and devoted cast of regulars. They feel like it's home."\nJunior Rachael Rugh identifies with Bailey's comfortable description of the restaurant. Born in Bloomington, Rugh began enjoying Malibu's cuisine with her parents many years ago.\n"It's this cute little restaurant with a great atmosphere and great food that I really enjoy coming to," Rugh says. "It's a great experience and a very inviting place to eat."\nRugh admits though she attempts to vary her order, she typically opts for her favorite, the spicy shrimp scallops. Bailey, on the other hand, cites his favorite item on the menu as the more mild caramelized salmon. \n"When eight people come to the restaurant, everyone can find something on the menu to eat," he says.\nBailey gestures casually to Jason Shoulders, the new kitchen manager who will be responsible for Malibu's new additions soon-to-decorate the menu in the form of "Chef's Specials." Shoulders has been working at Malibu Grill for three years but only recently has stepped up and taken charge. He says he's most excited to introduce the horseradish crusted red snapper.\n"My favorite thing is to talk to people, see what they like, and then throw that together," Shoulders says smiling. \nShoulders admits his favorite item on the menu is the lime chicken fettuccini ("It's always wonderful -- I don't understand how I never get tired of eating it.") and says he's not surprised Malibu Grill is a student favorite.\n"First of all, we serve great food, fresh food," Shoulders says. "No one should ever walk out of here feeling unsatisfied. It's priced affordably so you won't blow out your wallet. And the staff knows what they're doing and cares about what they're doing"

The Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology sponsored the first annual Ghost Walk around the campus Tuesday evening. More than seventy students participated in the night's activities that were filled with ghost stories that bring out the goblins and ghouls in all.

The Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology sponsored the first annual Ghost Walk around the campus Tuesday evening. More than seventy students participated in the night's activities that were filled with ghost stories that bring out the goblins and ghouls in all.

Climb every Mountain

Four years ago, at the foot of yonder mountain, four guys influenced by Colorado bluegrass found the inspiration to come together and make music. At 10 p.m. today, they'll bring their unique sound to Bluebird Nightclub. \n"We picked up The Best of Sing Out, a folk publication of the 1960s, and started flipping through it and found a song that said 'at the foot of yonder mountain,' and that was it," Jeff Austin says emphatically of how they chose their name, Yonder Mountain String Band. "We're not your grandpa's bluegrass band."\nAustin, who studied musical theater and voice at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, picked up the mandolin just five years ago. In addition to Austin's mandolin, Yonder Mountain is comprised of upright bassist Ben Kaufman, guitarist Adam Aijala and banjoist David Johnston. They have no drummer. \n"I like the fact that they don't have a drummer, that they're all string instruments," junior Seth Cook says. After seeing the band last summer at the 28th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Cook was compelled to drive to Champaign, Ill., last week for their show that he describes as, "a lot of fun." \n"You'll do a lot of dancing. (Austin), the mandolin player, tears it up -- his solos are so fast," Cook continues. "They mix in traditional bluegrass songs with original songs, so even if you don't know them, you'd recognize some of their songs. They put on a really good show, really into the music and they talk to the crowd. Their shows are a lot of fun with a good atmosphere."\nIn search of that good atmosphere and mandolin solos, Cook says he'll no doubt be at tonight's show. Austin says it's fans like Cook that make his job worthwhile.\n"Being on stage is emotionally charging -- to have two, three thousand people jumping around, screaming, singing along with you," Austin says. "It's very fueling. Making music allows you to truly put your heart out there and let people see it."\nThe band just released its third CD, Town by Town, Sept. 7, and Austin says the styles of Bill Monroe, David Grisman, Pink Floyd, the Misfits, Frank Zappa, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra "and Kermit the Frog" are evident on the album. He gives no indication of whether or not he is joking about Kermit, saying, "We have a wide range of musical influences."\nThough excited to showcase their new music to crowds across the country, Austin says most people have a misconception of the highs and lows of touring with a band.\n"What's fun about being on stage in a band is, in reality, what you deal with everyday -- it's not all backstage rooms and buses and parties -- it's a lot of hard work and busting your ass," he admits. "A lot of heart goes into it and you go through a lot of crap -- not sleeping for days, driving all over the place. Imagine the nice little rode trip you take with friends that lasts 275 days during the year. Usually we're in a small van ... around each other all the time and you can imagine that sometimes it's large wolves chewing at each other."\nTo rekindle their creative spark, Austin says the band will introduce new music or take a complete break and see a movie or feed their roller coaster addictions.\n"You've got to try to find some way to relax, look inside yourself and see what you need to do to recharge -- whether that means you sit down and write a tune and practice or step away from instrument for a few days and go out on a hike," Austin says. "We're human beings like anybody else who go through ups and downs, but everybody has a great time. We're people trying to make other people dance."\nDave Kubiak, owner of the Bluebird, says he hopes Yonder Mountain String Band can succeed at making Bloomington dance tonight. He says after bringing Yonder Mountain to the Bird last April, he was hooked -- he wanted them to come back during their current tour.\n"I think Yonder Mountain is one of the most promising young jam bands in the country," Kubiak says. "Therefore that makes us very excited to come play here. They're very young and energetic and known for live shows." \nBut Yonder Mountain didn't always have the reputation Cook and Kubiak boast of; there was a time when they were just four guys with string instruments.\n"In 1999, we were all in attendance (at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival) enjoying the festival and watching it as observers, drooling (because) we wanted to play so bad," Austin says of the esteemed festival that they were able to play at last summer. "Life is just setting continual goals for yourself. You can either sit in easy chair and let years go by, or just go out there and bust your ass as extreme as you can. It's just setting the goals for ourselves, making an outline of those goals and trying to achieve them. We've been lucky, and it's good feeling."\nAustin says he hopes people will come out to their show with an open mind and a willingness to hear something different.\n"College is all about experimenting. There's a lot of different things you can experiment with and we're one of the cheapest," Austin says with a laugh. "We're not another noodle jam band that sounds exactly like Phish, and it's a break from average terrible pop band. We're trying to give something different and something real"

Climb every Mountain

Four years ago, at the foot of yonder mountain, four guys influenced by Colorado bluegrass found the inspiration to come together and make music. At 10 p.m. today, they'll bring their unique sound to Bluebird Nightclub. \n"We picked up The Best of Sing Out, a folk publication of the 1960s, and started flipping through it and found a song that said 'at the foot of yonder mountain,' and that was it," Jeff Austin says emphatically of how they chose their name, Yonder Mountain String Band. "We're not your grandpa's bluegrass band."\nAustin, who studied musical theater and voice at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, picked up the mandolin just five years ago. In addition to Austin's mandolin, Yonder Mountain is comprised of upright bassist Ben Kaufman, guitarist Adam Aijala and banjoist David Johnston. They have no drummer. \n"I like the fact that they don't have a drummer, that they're all string instruments," junior Seth Cook says. After seeing the band last summer at the 28th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Cook was compelled to drive to Champaign, Ill., last week for their show that he describes as, "a lot of fun." \n"You'll do a lot of dancing. (Austin), the mandolin player, tears it up -- his solos are so fast," Cook continues. "They mix in traditional bluegrass songs with original songs, so even if you don't know them, you'd recognize some of their songs. They put on a really good show, really into the music and they talk to the crowd. Their shows are a lot of fun with a good atmosphere."\nIn search of that good atmosphere and mandolin solos, Cook says he'll no doubt be at tonight's show. Austin says it's fans like Cook that make his job worthwhile.\n"Being on stage is emotionally charging -- to have two, three thousand people jumping around, screaming, singing along with you," Austin says. "It's very fueling. Making music allows you to truly put your heart out there and let people see it."\nThe band just released its third CD, Town by Town, Sept. 7, and Austin says the styles of Bill Monroe, David Grisman, Pink Floyd, the Misfits, Frank Zappa, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra "and Kermit the Frog" are evident on the album. He gives no indication of whether or not he is joking about Kermit, saying, "We have a wide range of musical influences."\nThough excited to showcase their new music to crowds across the country, Austin says most people have a misconception of the highs and lows of touring with a band.\n"What's fun about being on stage in a band is, in reality, what you deal with everyday -- it's not all backstage rooms and buses and parties -- it's a lot of hard work and busting your ass," he admits. "A lot of heart goes into it and you go through a lot of crap -- not sleeping for days, driving all over the place. Imagine the nice little rode trip you take with friends that lasts 275 days during the year. Usually we're in a small van ... around each other all the time and you can imagine that sometimes it's large wolves chewing at each other."\nTo rekindle their creative spark, Austin says the band will introduce new music or take a complete break and see a movie or feed their roller coaster addictions.\n"You've got to try to find some way to relax, look inside yourself and see what you need to do to recharge -- whether that means you sit down and write a tune and practice or step away from instrument for a few days and go out on a hike," Austin says. "We're human beings like anybody else who go through ups and downs, but everybody has a great time. We're people trying to make other people dance."\nDave Kubiak, owner of the Bluebird, says he hopes Yonder Mountain String Band can succeed at making Bloomington dance tonight. He says after bringing Yonder Mountain to the Bird last April, he was hooked -- he wanted them to come back during their current tour.\n"I think Yonder Mountain is one of the most promising young jam bands in the country," Kubiak says. "Therefore that makes us very excited to come play here. They're very young and energetic and known for live shows." \nBut Yonder Mountain didn't always have the reputation Cook and Kubiak boast of; there was a time when they were just four guys with string instruments.\n"In 1999, we were all in attendance (at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival) enjoying the festival and watching it as observers, drooling (because) we wanted to play so bad," Austin says of the esteemed festival that they were able to play at last summer. "Life is just setting continual goals for yourself. You can either sit in easy chair and let years go by, or just go out there and bust your ass as extreme as you can. It's just setting the goals for ourselves, making an outline of those goals and trying to achieve them. We've been lucky, and it's good feeling."\nAustin says he hopes people will come out to their show with an open mind and a willingness to hear something different.\n"College is all about experimenting. There's a lot of different things you can experiment with and we're one of the cheapest," Austin says with a laugh. "We're not another noodle jam band that sounds exactly like Phish, and it's a break from average terrible pop band. We're trying to give something different and something real"