ARTS Friday, November 15, 1985 The Michigan Daily Page 7 "A2's patience pays off with Hitchcock , d d lit " Hxnn, "n dnA By Julie Jurrjens Some people around Ann Arbor have been wearing the number of th- warted attempts they've made to see Robyn Hitchcock over the past year like Purple Hearts, testaments to their dedication to this Rock God of Eccentrics. "Oh yeah? Well, I tried to see him three times and they were all cancelled out," they say, and then spew out something about how many obscure Soft Boys 45's they own. Finally, they'll be able to shut up. Their long-aroused desire to com- mune with Luthor Paisley, the Jelly Son, that most venerable antecedent of Syd Barrett - Robyn Hitchcock- has finally been consummated, as they finally got their chance to see him with The Egyptians at the (packed) Blind Pig, Wednesday night. ErDespite having recently been awarded the stigma of "REM's favorite band," Boston's Lifeboat played a consistently clean set of ap- pealing, upbeat guitar-pop, distinguished from the legions of their twangier peers by great harmonies and a distinctly non-Southern ap- proach. Some great originals, but the highlight of their set was a version of the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sun- day" with almost-satirically Byrdsy three part harmonies. The far-too-long interval between sets prompted several of the patrons to wonder aloud whether Robyn was going to cop out yet another time. Such skepticism probably wasn't too far out of line - considering Hitch- cock's track record for cancellations here in Ann Arbor and his reputation for being something of a primadonna (evidenced by a recent refusal to speak to American press and a coolness towards America in general) - but Robyn and The Egyptians tur- ned up eventually to much hooting and hollering from anxious fans. The Egyptians started out with "Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl" from Hitchcock's solo LP 1 Of- ten Dream of Trains and segued flawlessly into the Soft Boys classics ''Kingdom of Love." The very tall, very long fingernailed Hitchcock cap- tivated the sardine-packed audience from square one. The sound was immaculate throughout the show, confirming The Egyptians' reputation as one of the finest live acts around. It's almost downright weird, the play of Hitch- cock's odd, chaotic stage persona against the band's ultrasharp musicianship. The band includes former Soft Boy Morris Windsor on drums, and vets Roger Jackson on keyboards and An- dy Metcalfe on bass; in addition to Hitchcock on guitar, vocals, and ab- surd explications of his songs. One such monologue preceded "My Wife and My Dead Wife"- about the nature of death in England where the ultimate conclusion was "We'll all be dead eventually." Yes, this man Hit- chcock has a Cambridge education, too. The set enaea wt heaven, anu the band was immediately set for a two song encore which included the extra-big surprise of a whole a capella rendition of "Uncorrected Personality Traits" and "Listening to the Higsons;" on which band mem- bers switched instruments. A true descent into three chord grunge ec- stacy, "Higsons" kicks the proverbial shit out of just about every garage- revivalist outfit's best grind. Both "Uncorrected" and "Higsons" stand to be way up there-in the Memorable Musical Moments of '85 poll. Clearly well worth the wait, these Egyptians. - Gh /idmas summmmon, , n f985- Ex-Soft Boy Robyn Hitchcock satisfied Ann Arbor's expectations with a long-awaited debut at the Pig Wednesday night. Mhusicy o-oto rock Halfway with benefit FONDEROSA® Ho w nto Tr InoA Four Course Stea Diner. Jy Rob Michaels Tonight, the Halfway Inn will play host to a mega-musical shindig to raise funds for the East Quad Music Ce-op and Quadrangle Studios. t'onight's event is the second such benefit, the first of which was held last spring. Co-op president Angela Doane says that the organization hepes to stage one each semester, showcasing as wide a variety of local, ca-op affiliated talent as possible. In order to insure that patrons are steeped in continuous tuneage the whole night long, the Halfway Inn will have not one, but two stages from which the music will flow. The three feAtured electric bands will perform on the big stage, while a number of small acoustic combos, most of which are made up of assorted co-op mem- bdrs, will perform on the auxiliary stage at the rear of the Halfway. The first of the electric bands is called Tremble Factor, a new co-op band that plays pop covers and originals. Next up will be Suspect Vehicle, a band which achieved some fame last year as the Great Knock- wurst Trio - wacky purveyors of fun- time '60s style folk-pop and rock and foil. And closing the show will be some of Ann Arbor's most famous and accomplished musical sons, It's Raining, whose emotionally charged brand of eclectic R&R was little short *of'perfect at their U-Club appearance several weeks ago. According to Doane, all the bands that will be playing have at least some members who are involved in the co-op, stating "The benefit is a chance for bands to play in front of a live audience and to do the co-op and hence themselves a worthwhile ser- vide." Those attending tonight's show may certainly rest assured that their "*money is going to support a unique and valuable organization. Since its inpeption by two Residential College students in 1983, the Music Co-op has served as a medium through which people who desire involvement in vir- tuplly every aspect of music could get together and pursue their various goals and interests. Through sharing their ideas, labor, and time, co-op members have created an organization that offers something for everyone with a strong interest in music. For musicians themselves, the co- op has set up a musicians' referral service through which players can locate just the right players to make their projects complete. For non- performers, the organization offers benefit shows (like this one), as well as tape sales, the co-op's most popular fund raisers. But this is just the beginning: for at the more technical end of the spec- trum there lies Quadrangle Studios, a nominally separate (for financial reasons) but thematically and organizationally similar entity of the co-op itself. As it does for all other East Quad musical events, Quadrangle Studios will be providing the live sound equipment for tonight's benefit. Quadrangle Studios is a fully operational, non-profit eight-track recording facility located in the basement of East Quad. Since its opening last January, the studio has not only functioned to record the works of co-op musicians (including a Civilian Fun Group record, last spring), but also to develop the recor- ding and mixing skills of more technically oriented members. For such people with a sound engineering flair, free tech seminars are held weekly which offer instruction in the operation of the studio and its equip- ment. However, in order for such fine ac- tivity to continue, the studio needs a great deal of financing. Their present recording equipment will soon be leaving town (as it has been available only on a rental basis from a generous co-op member) and the studio is now preparing to buy its own new eight- track facility. While a variety of fun- ding avenues are being explored (grants, manufacturer's specials, alumni, etc), none have proven fruit- ful enough to diminish the importance of fundraising events. But concern should only be one of the motivating factors behind atten- ding tonight's show, as the wealth of talent on display should attest. The musical entertainment, all of which will be broadcast live over campus station WCBN, will begin at 9:00 p.m. and run until 1:00 a.m. Admission is yours for a three dollar donation. PHOTOGRAPHY 206 S Main St AmnAroMI '48104 665-5988 The Crown House of Gifts invites you to: ' 1' ; f i',a lllfi ; ;:: ~ t.; :; , , Ili o.'. i n Ill.".111' 'I WN "Autograph Party" Every dinner comes with the World's Biggest, Best ESaryad e fetu g or allnew Hot Spot.M SaladgyuffetT Mfea nng our .." " ..." " m ww VaI'u s tek unch Special! rChop ed8te.kChopped vae $a t 99 ,11 ' w urgeTM (2f$598) for$5.98) u)gea ibeyeSteak Rbee Ste R , geDinner ' Dinner 99' $ ' Mon.-sat. 13992$for $798)1 A ossss x ChooBosss BoSn includes the Wor ld's Bgge Best Sa Bat (2 for $7.98) e i ot. Tano tar eat) and baked potato. Cannot eue .A atcptn steakhouses. 1 3 b. an ked potato C s w thothe d iscoun l .A t acinsh n eAksecte t ty A ie Aat) ss 0 /r m A rb r lan g t.) patcptngsteakhouses. Chopped ' Stoea beef steak ..oupofwtlterdsons.Txnt g.A taki I s ood fot r eoke I ptychoppedsbeetsteakdCop1B2daE/ L__ ___ __121818 5 J V aid until 2s8/85Validunuiti l" '/ 1 / 8 3354 E. Washtenaw Ave. (Across from Arborland Shpg. Ctr.) On West Stadium Blvd. Enjoy - 1985 Ponderosa, Inc. (Just North of Stadium & Liberty) ODEEOS featuring Mark Pillow, one of the famous Chippendales' dancers! 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. Saturday, November 16, 1985 301 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 761-4358 H e validate parking, in the Maynard Street Parking Structure How to organize tee shirts for your group. Daily goes Free Drop! -Fall '85 ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER Custom designed tee shirts help make your group special. They help make the members feel that they belong and provide fun for everyone. This article is to help you plan and organize tee shirts for your group. Don't be afraid to take on the job of organizing the tee shirts because the pleasure the group will feel when the shirts arrive will make the whole pro- cess worthwhile. Choose someone to handle the details. There are quite a few decisions to make in putting together a tee shirt program, and one person should collect all the infor- mation and coordinate the decisions. If other members want to be involved, let them assist the key person. Set your objectives for the project. There are many good reasons for a group to have a custom tee shirt. Tee shirts can be used to raise money. They help in Choose a tee shirt printer who will help you. A good tee shirt printing company can provide you the detailed advice necessary to have a project flow smoothly. They can show you examples of garments and designs that have been used by other groups. A good printer will protect you from mistakes. Review the design ideas with the group. You will be surprised at the variety of opinions people have about tee shirt designs. Every- one will be happier if they have some input in what you are designing. However you cannot please everyone and at some point you have to use your own good judgement. Set a price for the shirts. Even if you have decided to sell the shirts at your cost, you have to think through the pricing. Typically you will give away a few shirts, and some shirts get lost or aren't sold. It's Ascott Corporation has been printing garments for Ann Arbor groups since 1976. We have a full design service and can use our exten- sive collection of past designs to give you ideas on solving your problems. We inventory thousands of polycot- ton. 100% cotton. longsleeve. and golf shirts. Our normal delivery time is one week from when the art is ready and approved. All our work is fully guaranteed. We want to print shirts for you. We know you will wear ours. Let us help you plan the next shirt for your group. however you arrange to collect the money. you will be delighted when you see how enthusiastic your group will be when you distribute the shirts.