The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, September 19, 1978-Page 7
Bluegrass at the Ark
By RICK ARGAS
Sunday night was my first time at the Ark, that warm nest
of folk music on Hill St. Jay Ungar and Lyn Hardy, a
husband-wife team of bluegrass musicians, had attracted a
g66d-sized crowd. We settled comfortably into our seats and
waited for the first set to begin.,
"At nine, the couple strolled up to the front and began to
play. Jay plays fiddle and mandolin, and Lyn plays guitar
aid sings. Time flew by as the music quickly established
their ability and compatibility.
'FROM A "Turkey in the straw" rendition to a "Johnson
Boys" sing-along to a bluegrass instrumental medley, they
were clearly in command of some fine, honest music. They
displayed some of the customary tricks of the trade,
including playing as fast as they could, at times, and ad-
fibing some of the musical introductions.
the crowd responded appreciatively, especially on funny
iimbers such as "Heart Big Enough For Two." Lyn (the one
with the "taller" voice) dioa couple of tunes in her "helium-
sucking voice,"and explained later that her favorite hobby is
dong back-up vocals.
Jay and Lyn have been playing their instruments - for
about ten years each, the last six as a team. They live in New
York (Lyn was born in Ann Arbor), but are frequently off
touring the country with their two-and-a-half year old
daughter. They've toured England and Scotland, and now
include English and Scottish ballads in their repertoire.
"They really love American music," Jay said of English
audiences, "especially bluegrass." Actually, according to
Jay, the couple plays "country and eastern music."
IT WAS GOOD to see people who knew how to sing and play
well. Their style of repartee was not forced, but very relaxed.
One could appreciate the .profuse sweat these talented and
earnest musicians put into their performance. Thoroughly
enjoying themselves on stage, their enthusiasm spread to the
crowd.
This Friday and Saturday, Ken Whiteley, a performer of
songs from the jazz age, will come to the Ark. Future weeks
will bring Maragret Christl, a singer of ballads from Canada
and the British Isles, Bryan Bowers, an autoharp virtuoso,
and the frequently-performing team of Norman and Nancy
Blake.
RECORDS
oto
A night at the Opry
Waylon Jennings, left, recently made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 10 years.
Appearing with him was his close friend Johnny Cash.
BY KEITH TOSOLT
Robin Trower has always had his
mellower side, manifesting itself in a
drug-induced euphoric haze of distor-
tion that evokes images of Jimi Hen-
drix. But more essential to his sound is
a hard-edged heavy-metal attack that
made recordings like Bridge of Sighs
classics. Now, Trower has chosen to
virtually abandon the idiom which was
his trademark, in favor of a sweeter,
more melodic approach. Caravan to
Midnight has much more substance
than his previous album, In City
Dreams. The songwriting of Trower
and vocalist James Dewar is extremely
solid this time around, indicating that
they have realized the artistic inten-
tions of their change in musical direc-
tion. Of the nine cuts here only one is a
Caravan To Midnight
Robin Trower
Chrysalis CHR 1189
r X
pppp-- - --qqq
' ,
k
A
'4
r
A
I qv4
V Fi
,.
I
I
i
E
I
real loser, and it suffers more from
inane lyrics than a poor arrangement.
ALTHOUGH this album is relatively
mellow, the sound is still unmistakenly
Trower. The guitars are either phase-
shifted or played through the wah-wah
(sometimes both effects are used in
unison) and the heavily overdubbed
arrangements are built around his
usual melodic riffs. The only change is
that these riffs are now played over the
funky bass lines of Rustee Allen, who
made his debut with Trower on In City
Dreams.
My choice for the strongest track is
"My Love (Burning Love)," because it
stands out as the tune that shows that
Trower can still rock. The lead laying
is hot, and he uses all his favorite
techniques on this track, from
sustained high notes and wah-wah solo
to a nasty bit of feedback for the per-
fect climax. The rhythm and melody
are a bit on the funky side, but played
heavily so the tune hits hard.
"Fool" begins innocently enough
with a simple chord pattern, until
Trower begins to add layers: first a
catchy medium tempo riff and then a
completely unaltered rhythm guitar
(an amazing surprise) which really
starts the song to cool. "King of the
Dance" opens with an inspiring riff, as
Trower manipulates his wah-wah pedal
for maximum funkiness and then set-
tles down into a heavy backbeat.
THE MOST interesting song on
Caravan is the title track, because it is
as fine and significant an instrumental
as the first one Trower recorded. The
piece begins and ends with an haunting
echo. Trower plays a slow, melodic
guitar line, gliding gracefully from one
note to the next, over a rich texture of
bell and triangle sounds added by jazz
percussionist Paulhino Dacosta.
The rest of the compositions, mostly
love ballads, range from a lilting "Lost
in Love" to the Soul-like arrangement
and vocal phrasings of "It's For You."
Dewar actually sings in the higher
registers (somewhat difficult givenhis
deep voice and limited range), using a
high falsetto on two cuts and bringing it
off fairly well.
While old Trower fans may be hoping
he returns to heavy metal, I'll be
waiting to catch him repeating himself
in one of his riffs. If Caravan to Mid-
night is any indication of his creative
reserve, that time may not come for
awhile.
1-
looking for mote?
Advertise in the
Personals
Calls
764-0557
AUDITIONS
Soloists * Chorus * Orchestra
Johann Strauss'
GYPSY BARON
Sign up Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:30 pm
Conference Room, New Fire Station
Corner Huron and Fifth
THE COMIC OPERA GUILD
For further info: 665-6074
0
'"IjIII'
I
1:4~1 1:1
I SE
SE
I SE
NOTE Ct
- - - -
She Stoops to Conquer
Richard 11
Oct. 18-22
Nov. 29-Dec. 3
The Inspector General Feb. 14-18
The River Niger April 11-15
--
SERIES
ERIES
ERIES
C: (FRI. EVE.) Oct. 20, Dec. 1, Feb. 16, Apr. 13
D: (SAT. EVE.) Oct. 21, Dec. 2, Feb. 17, Apr. 14
E: (SUN. MAT.) Oct. 22, Dec. 3, Feb. 18, Apr. 15
0 1
r 1
I
f
r
A
- -- --- -- --- -- --- --- -- ----- - -
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
IP PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM 1978-79
BEST OF BROADWAY SERIES
I USHER APPLICATION I
I Name1I
I Address Zip Code
I Telephone _U of M ID. No.
RULES I
I 1. You must be a U of M student. I
2. You must choose your series in order of preference.
I 3. Married students may send applications together.
I 4. This application MUST BE POSTED BY U.S. MAIL ON OR AFTER Friday,
I September 15, 1978. Mail to: Usher Best of Broadway Series, Professional
Theatre Program, Michigan League Bldg., Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
I 5. Must Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. I
I PLEASE NUMBER CHOICE 1,2, 3, etc. I
I CHOICE.1
I _ SERIES A: (WED. EVE.) Oct. 18, Nov. 29, Feb. 14, Apr. 11
SERIES B: (THURS. EVE.) Oct. 19, Nov. 30, Feb. 15, Apr. 12
URTAIN TIMES: All Evenings at 8:00 p.m. Matinees at 2:00 p.m.
~ ~-
(714 E
£kibigtwn
:;3 UIIQl
-.Oda
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
1
I
I1
.1
-4
I
:I P
Student Newspaper at The University of Michigan
r - - - mm - - - - - mu
I
WRITE YOUR AD HERE!
------ - lr
I,
t I
- -----------CLIP AND MAIL TODAY!=------------J
USE THIS HANDY CHART TO QUICKLY ARRIVE AT AD COST
Words_ 2 3 4 5 add.
0-14 1.70 3.40 4.60 5.80 7.00 1.00 Please indicate
15-21 2.55 5.10 6.90 8.70 10.50 1.50 wherethisad
is to run:
22-28 3.40 6.80 9.20 11.60 14.00 2.00 for rent
29-35 4.25 8.50 11.50 14.50 17.50 2.50 orhelpned
29-5 .2 8.0 1.0 4.5 1.5 250 help wanted
36-42 5.10 10.20 13.80 17.40 21.00 3.00 r"oaes
43-49 6.80 11.90 16.10 20.30 24.50 3.50 etc.
Seven words per line. Each group of characters counts as one word.
Hyphenated words over 5 characters count as two words--This includes telephone numbers.