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MUSIC
From
on high
RESTAUI
By Andy Rosenzweig
The Nylons
Saturday, October 12
The Power Center, 8 p.m.
A S A DEVOTED MEMBER of
the Friars, I tend to be constan-
tly on the lookout for new songs for
the group to perform, and, especially,
new groups from which to "borrow"
songs. (For the uninitiated, the Friars
are the U-M Men's Glee Club's
singing, dancing octet.) Imagine my
happiness when a former Friar came
by last Fall with a tape he had bought
in Europe of a Canadian a cappella
quartet, called the Nylons. Happiness
turned ecstatic when I listened to the
album and discovered 10 imaginative,
exciting songs, all with superb
arrangements. Suddenly, the Friars
had a new favorite band.
What we didn't know then was that
the Nylons had been an international
hit for the past four years, appearing
throughout the world and selling
albums in virtually every market but
the U.S. In Canada they enjoy near-
superstardom, possessing three
platinum albums and playing
regularly to packed houses.
The Nylons have created a com-
pletely original sound, borrowing
from various styles to become the fir-
st group to successfully bridge the
gap between a cappella and rock.
Fittingly, the band has invented the
term "rockappella" to define its
as the Persuasions and California's
The Bobs.
The Nylon's live show is said to be
particularly impressive, combining
elements of music, theatre, and
comedy into a refreshingly unique
production. Says Cooper, "People
leave our concerts saying they felt
like there was some sort of plot to the
show. There isn't, but the presen-
tation of the songs makes it seem as if
they're all tied together."
The theatrical aspects of the show
are accounted for by the background
experiences of the Nylon's members;
they were working actors in Toronto
before joining together to form the
group. Retaining a theatrical bent,
the Nylons fill their show with
choreography, lighting effects, and
costume changes, and perform from
an art-deco set.
While the energy of the Nylon's live
performance obviously accounts for
much of their success, it is the quality
of their music that really proves the
group's worth.
The band's first American release,
One Size Fits All, originally released
in Canada in 1982, is an enthusiastic,
high-quality collection of cover tunes
and songs written by the Nylons.
Each of the members has a pleasant
and powerful voice, and the solos are
consistently soulful and exceptionally
well-sung. The solos are the focal
point of each song, but equally
dynamic are the ensemble accom-
paniments, arranged by producer
Peter Mann. While not necessarily of
high complexity, the Nylon's
arrangements are always clever and
entertaining,and support each song
without cluttering it. One Size Fits All
shows off the Nylon's versatility as
well, the material ranging from jazzy
tunes to ballads to traditional doo-
wop.
Despite all their quality in recor-
ding and performance, I've always
wondered how the Nylons would fare
in the restrictive world of pop music,
since their sound is so far outside of
the norm. U.S. pop radio, limited by
its formats, seems a tough market for
a band like the Nylons to enter. Yet
Cooper is optimistic, based on the
band's similar experience in Canada.
"Stations in Canada resisted
playing us at first, until we had sold a
couple million records and they had to
play us because people were calling
us up and asking why they weren't.
The stations had to be shown that we
wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in
their programs.
Such is the challenge the Nylons
face once again as they try to make
their mark in America. While the
American public is a tough and rather
inflexible audience, I hope that we're
not that much unlike the rest of the
world and can come to appreciate a
top-quality, hard-working band that
happens to perform (gasp!) minus
guitars.
The signs are good, though; the
Nylons have performed in the U.S.
occasionally, andthe response has
been as strong as in their other
markets. In addition, one Size Fits
All has sold 50,000 copies in the U.S.
since its release, 10 times what their
label had expected.
So, if you want to be in on the
ground floor of what could be a major
breakthrough, or you want to support
an innovative, creative band, or if you
just want to be well entertained, come
to the Power Center tomorrow night
and check out the Nylons' highly-
touted show. I know the Friars will be
there.
Open,,
yet
intimate.
By Jere Williamson
OysterHBar and Spaghetti Machine
301 W. Huron
Hours: Sunday-Monday, 5-9; Tuesday-
Saturday 5-10 p.m.
T HE SUN WAS SETTING
Friday night as our little Daily
dinner party journeyed off campus to
explore the Spaghetti Machine and
Oyster Bar. Known to regulars as
simply The Spaghetti Machine, this
cozy bistro is tucked away beneath
the Rubiyat at the corner of
Washington and First Street. This
fact in no way hinders it's popularity,
so we decided to investigate what
many Ann Arborites regard as their
own special find.
Arriving at seven, the place was not
yet crowded and we had plenty of
time to peruse the menu. It features
pasta, green,. white, or whole wheat
noodles with a variety of sauces, from
simple tomato (organically grown in.
the owner's garden) to an exquisite
white clam. Besides the 'pasta
possibilities, there are a variety of
veal dishes, and of course, oysters.
For students who have come of age,
the wine list offers many fine reds and
burgundies, with only a few white vin-
tages to choose from.
We started off with our own little
loaf of fresh bread still warm from
the oven and accompanied by fresh
parmesan and pure butter. This was
replaced instantly with another at the
first sign that we were through. As the
time came to order we decided to try
oysters, Fettucine Alfredo (green
noodles) and Veal Marie Creole.
All dinners come with a side dish of
pasta and salad bar. Yet the salad bar
here is by no means ordinary. The
creamy garlic and Caesar is
homemade and the selection includes
capers, fresh olives, feta cheese! !!,
sesame seeds, three kinds of onions,
and crisp bean sprouts, to name a
few. This salad bar is like Christmas
to those who dare to contemplate
salad beyond the tomato and lettuce
threshold.
The restaurant consists of one open
room sectioned off into four different
seating areas. The kitchen nook is
tucked away into one wall, separated
only by a grating which supports pots,
pans, and other utensils. Smaller than
the kitchen is the bar next door which
also opens on to the room. The
restaurant is open yet intimate. This
feeling is augmented by soft lighting,
stucco accents, and warm, wood
paneling. There is very much a
feeling of privacy despite the openes
of the room.
Real wicker, checked tablecloths,
and opera music give the place a cozy
atmosphere topped off by the opera in
the background. We were lucky to
have arrived early, for the place was
packed by eight. Reservations are not
taken for parties of less than six, so
there can be a slight wait if one
arrives later in the evening.
Our dinner arrived. The oysters
were excellent, the wine (1981 Sartori
Bardolino, Soave) tasted and ap-
proved before pouring, and the en-
THE SPAGHETTI MACHINE: Hidden away on sloping West Huron Street is a
THE NYLONS: A cappella delight.
unique marriage of traditional doo-
wop to modern songs and production.
The band is not a cappella in the stric-
test sense, but uses electronic per-
cussion and rhythm effects to enhan-
ce their music's appeal.
Nylons member Paul Cooper ex-
plains, "People grew up on the beat
and are really hooked on it. We com-
trees placed before us. Fettucine
Alfredo to die for! with a sauce so
creamy, your eyes roll back in your
head. The Veal Marie Creole held true
to its New Orleans heritage with real,
creole spices. It's refreshing to find a
creole that dares to be truly hot
enough to make your face perspire.
Most northerners are too wimpy to
emulate the real thing, but we were
not disappointed here.
Hot Espresso with a slice of lemon
finished us off as we leaned back in
our seats, discreetly groaning with
pleasure. The service is excellent, our
waitress never intruding, yet knowing
exactly when to be at our table. The
patrons seated around us were, for
the most part, not students. It's an
older crowd, made up of business
1
1
1
1
bine the a cappella sound with the
familiar beat and come up with
something that's different but that
people still want to listen to."
One listening to a Nylon's album
proves that the rhythm does make the
difference, giving the group an up-
dated, dynamic sound that eludes
other modern a cappella groups, such
ME
COLUMN
Hateful
Musings
AMODEST, thoughtful column-
A s ould vercreate a list of
things he hated. He would interview
well-known people and create a list
of their pet peeves. But I won't do
that. The way I figure it, the things
that bother me are infinitely more
interesting anyway, therefore a list
of the things I hate follows.
1) Blatantly ridiculous cautions
printed on certain products.
Until very recently the following
was written on the side of Pop Tart
boxes:
CAUTION: Pastry may be hot
when heated.
I have burnt myself many times
while handling scalding hot Pop Tar-
ts. I simply never made the connec-
tion that the pastries might not be
hot after I toasted them. Thankfully
Kellogg's provided a warning for
people just like me. Since I read it I
Catch of
the Day
bMike Ac Fich
L. u y1a"-Jv r\ i I)U' A
haven't harmed myself with a single
breakfast pastry. I'm still won-
dering, however, why Pop Tarts get
so cold when I freeze them.
Another caution that irks me is the
one printed on lawn mowers which
reads: Do not attempt to clean lawn
mower blade while the blade is still
in motion. Anyone who doesn't
recognize that he will turn his
fingers into goulash by placing them
onto a sharp, fast-moving metal
blade should not be allowed to use a
rake let along a lawnmower.
Or how about the caution on
washers and dryers which reads: Do
not allow children to play inside of
washer or dryer. Can't you just hear
loving parents suggesting that Billy
and Cindy go play quietly in the spin
cycle?
2) Phonetic spelling on the menu
at Taco Bell.
If you never noticed, the old Taco
iI
Bell menu (which now sits in the
restaurant's front window) provides
customers with both the proper
spelling of its entrees and phonetic
versions of the same. Apparently,
the American consumer is not
worldly enough to pronounce the
word taco without a pronounciation
guide.
For those of you having problems
with the pronounciation of this rare
and exotic Mexican dish Taco Bell's
phonetic spelling is a tah-co. I hope
that clears things up for you. Taco
Bell also provides pronounciation
guides for the words Burrito (buh-
ree-toh) and tostada (tos-tah-da).
3) The. P.A. system at Burger
King.
When I eat at Burger King I can't
make insane requests like I do at
McDonald's because the people who
work at B.K. have a microphone
system and they would announce my
order over the damned P.A. system.
I like to cause havoc but I'm no
exhibitionist.
Also at Burger King, everyone
knows what you have ordered. I turn
a nice shade of pink when the
waitress bellows my plain ham-
burger/ice water order over the
P.A. She might as well be saying,
"Hey everybody, this guy over here
has no class and he's cheap."
4) A posh toystore in New York
whose name I cannot recall.
A few years ago as I examined the
said toy store's wide selection of
Tonka vehicles a man clad in a
bright red sports jacket asked my if
I had any form of identification (he
turned out to be a proud member of
the toystore's trusty security staff).
I asked him what the hell (being a
rather foul-mouthed youth) he was
talking about. He pointed angrily to
a sign on the front door which read:
Those under 16 will not be admitted
unless accompanied by a parent.
With an air of confident indignation I
pulled out my learner's permit and
thrust it right in front of the security
guard's face. Once he was convinced
that I was indeed old enough to
check out the Tonka Trucks I was
left alone. But what if my younger
brother wanted to look at the new
Evil Knievel Stunt Cycle? Would he
have to have a fake I.D.?
5) Hand dryers.
I once unwittingly washed my face
in a public bathroom only to find out
that the normal paper towel racks
had been replaced with hand dryers.
As the stalls were all occupied,
gaining access to toilet paper was an
impossibility. I had no choice but to
drop down to my knees, and dry
my face under the stream of hot air
emitted by the dryer. I have done
more suave things in my life. Years
later when I became a man I learned
that the hot air blower can be tilted
up to accommodate face washers. I
still bear a grudge.
6) Use of the phrase "luv ya."
"Luv ya" is a phrase used com-
monly at the end of yearbook
signatures. "Luv ya" does not mean
I love you. What it really means is: I
don't know you very well, but it
would be awkward for me to write
that. When there are no true feelings
of love in a relationship the phrase
"I love you" is shortened and a term
of quasi-endearment is created.
Insane
lunatic.
Ostensibly, the man o' muscle
behaves like a hell-bent killer because
of his kidnapped daughter, the one he
took swimming and fishing. I com-
mend the scriptwriter for not suc-
cumbing to the temptation of laying
the blame on the Vietnam War or
some other ambigious social cause.
But how well can 90 seconds of heavy-
handed tenderness between a father
and daughter justify wholesale
c-l.ghter? Great - preservation of
the family and all - but this guy is a
meat wrecking machine.
The girl is held in an island fortress,
guarded by a full division of troops,
i.e. dead meat. James Bond probably
would make a surreptitious entry to
the fortress in the trunk of a car,
spring the girl, and get back out with
two or three casualities. What does
the hulk of a man do but stage a fron-
tal assault on the whole army. Even if
he could put them all in their graves
in 15 minutes, wouldn't that be enough
time for someone to kill his dear little
BLOOM
COUNTY
CH 9o..
4,
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- I
I,-
Watch for it in
daughter? Fortunately, the resour-
ceful little girl escapes before her
father comes blundering in full death
machine glory.
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The whole movie is impractical. Sc-
hwarzenegger can barely get his
fibrous self through a doorway much
less perform all the agile feats of his
'I eat Green Berets for breakfast.'
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
as John Matrix
in 'Commando'
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4 Weekend/Friday, October 11, 1985
Weeke