The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 23, 1983 - Page 7
I
West brings us
folksong magic
By Deborah Robinson
ALTHOUGH HER pleasant yet some-
what nasal voice will continue to
brand her as a mountain lark, Hedy
West has broadened her music and her
life by traveling around the world after
leaving that "southern hospitality" of
her Georgia home.
The author of the '60s folk-boom
classic "500 miles," West began her
musical career while studying at
Colombia University. At that time, New
York was teeming with folk revivalists,
however Hedy felt compelled to sing the
older, more unusual versions of
folksongs that had been passed down in
her family for generations.
Accompanying herself on a five-
string banjo and guitar, she still clings
to the traditional folksongs, but her
musical style has become more inter-
national since her first recordings in
the '60s. Hedy West has traveled exten-
sively and has lived in England and in
Germany, this being the reason for
some of the newer aspects in her music.
The British and Irish songs she
collected are a natural complement to.,
and the roots of Hedy West's own Ap-
palachian tradition. More incongruous
are the added influences of her studies
in classical composition and in the song
style of German playwright Berthold
Brecht.
According to folklorist and song
collector Alan Lomax, West "still
remains one of the most direct and for-
ceful singers of the folksong -
whatever the origin, and wherever the
performance."
This weekend, the Ark Coffeehouse
will welcome Hedy West back for the
first time in four years. Previously she
was scheduled to appear at the Cof-
fehouse in March, but weather con-
Hedy West performs folksongs for the Ark crowd tonight and Saturday.
ditions kept her stranded in the airport
and her fans disappointed.
Friday and Saturday nights, the Ark
will once again be filled with West's South State at E. Liberty
sweet ballads. She is likely to sing about
everything from coal mining to cold-
blooded murders; as referred to on one
of her own albums Love, Hell, and
Biscuits. She'll be bringing her country
tunes to 1421 Hill St. with shows begin-
ning at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30, and
tickets are $5.
.
Buzzin' music comes to Rick's
By Eli Cohen
THERE'S A FINE line between
"making it" in the music business
and just "getting by." It can be like
walking a tight rope-and many new
bands do just that-they are almost
successful. The Buizztones are just
such a band. The group is a veteran of
the local music scene, frequenting
establishments from Detroit to Ann Ar-
bor. They haven't made any national
successes yet but, as promoter Jimmy
Cioe says, "They have as much a shot
at happening as any band in the area."
The Buzztones are on the verge of
breaking big, but they just haven't done
it yet. Lamont Zodiac-the stage name
for lead singer Tom Brzezina-talks of
a new four-song EP that is being recor-
ded for a major label. Fortunately for
the Buzztones, the EP is being
produced by Was Not Was. That group
is hot right now, having just recorded a
new album that is quickly rising on the
charts.
"We also have a cut called 'Bow Wow
Wow Wow' on the Was Not Was album
which came out on Geffen," says
Zodiac of the new-found prominence of
his band. The exposure in nightclubs
like Rick's or the Second Chance,
opening for the likes of Robert Palmer,
help the Buzztones to gain importance,
according to Zodiac.
Zodiac is not a lone Buzztone, though.
He has four cohorts who include lead
guitarist Roscoe Paradise, drummer
Reggie Macambo, bassist Red Banner
and keyboardist Boog Hill.
The Buzztones primarily stick to
original material, most of which is writ-
ten by Zodiac or Macambo. Any other
songs they perform are borrowed from
such rhythm and blues greats as Aretha
Franklin, James Brown, or the Four
Tops. These are the Motown heroes that
have "inspired our original stuff," says
Zodiac.
That original stuff, according to
Zodiac, has a more modern flavor than
its Motown predecessors. "We use a
lot more synthesizers on our original
work," he explains. The Buzztones
have begun to use a drum machine on
several of the new songs. The
machine-a wonder among won-
ders-has been utilized to create cow
bells, hand claps, and other special ef-
fects to enhance Macambo's drums.
"No other local band uses it," boasts
Zodiac.
Ann Arbor is a favorite for the Buz-
ztones. They have done concerts and
parties here for well over a year.
"We've had a real good response at
both Rick's and the Chance," affirms
Zodiac. Apart from the 10 p.m. date at
Rick's on Friday and Saturday, the
Buzztones will be back at the Second
Chance on October 18.
The feeling is, of course, mutual. Ann
Arbor likes the Buzztones as much as
the quintet likes the town. Rick's was
even packed over the summer when the
Buzztones last appeared. "They really
keep people dancing from the start,"
according to a manager at Rick's.
"They are a dance-band that's almost
as good as SLK," said one University
sophomore, referring to the local ska
band rated number one in the area
among students last year.
Ann Arbor seems to enjoy this kind of
straigh fun, straight rock-type band.
The Buzztones are the kind of band to
dance to, not to rally behind. "We're not
the Clash," assures Zodiac, "we aren't
trying to make a philosophical
statement." The Buzztones' lyrics are
drawn more from actual experiences
and more traditionalrock themes than
an inner political motivation.
The Buzztones seem to be a local
favorite about to establish a wider
reputation. The planned EP could shoot
the Buzztones into the national music
scene making the Detroiters top-40 and
not local anymore. These concert dates
this fall may be the last time the quintet
plays the Ann Arbor clubs. so at 10 p.m.
the Buzztones will be at Rick's. Dance
away.
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This new technique teaches
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Come and experience this
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Monday, September 26
From 7-8 p.m. at
KING'S KEYBOARD HOUSE
115 E. Liberty
in Downtown Ann Arbor
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT:
earning
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617 E. University #260
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
313/ 996-9667.
The Ann Arbor Learning Network (AALN) is a private
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Buttefies' crash land
(Continuedfrom Page 6)
The characters have didactic soul-
to-soul arguments, and the hero and
heroine even exchange a few "god-
damn's." Don pronounces Jill
"emotionally retarded." Like wow. Af-
ter Don's sobbing solildquy, all the
characters, even the overprotective
mother, see the light. Suddenly
everybody loves each other, and
everything is once again cool in new
York. At the end, the hero and heroine
are left alone in an embrace on center
stage. "What a great idea," replied Jill
as the curtain dropped. Sounds like a
great last line for a Harlequin romance
novel.
The acting for Butterflies was ex-
cellent, but the director's interpretation
was off course. Individual lines were
funny, but the play as a whole was not.
The director might have said, "Look -
what we've got here is four cardboard
characters with so much consciousness
piled onto each one of them, that they
all just fall apart and look absurd."
Without this all Butterflies had was
melodrama with a bunch of '60s jokes
coming out of left field. This is not to
say that it didn't have some hilarious
moments. It was good, clean, comsic
fun.
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Don't Let a Bad Break
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Whether it's an intramural football injury or a surprise attack of appendicitis,
an unanticipated sickness or accident can result in large medical bills.
And if you're like most college students, your budget doesn't allow for any
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That's why it's a good idea to help protect yourself against the medical
expenses of an unexpected sickness or accident by enrolling now in the
1983-1984 Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan, approved by the MSA for
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
48109
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