The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, December 9, 1987- Page 9

'Raise the

Roof'

to benefit

Network


By Cathy Shap
A variety of Ann Arbor's finest talent will "raise the roof' this
Saturday Night for the Performance Network's second annual fundraiser.
The Performance Network, Ann Arbor's off-center theatre which pro-
vides theatre space for most alternative performance troupes, is relocat-
ing to a larger theatre this year.
Saturday night the Network will put on Raise the Roof, a show
combining a rich variety of Ann Arbor talent including performances of
drama, dance, mime, comedy, blues, and jazz. These performers are
among Ann Arbor's best-known and talented artists.
The all-star line-up includes: Elise Bryant of the Common Ground
Theatre, performing excerpts from her work-in-progress One-Woman-
Show; comic mime Owen "OJ" Anderson; and Peter Madcat Ruth, a
well known Ann Arbor musician who will perform harmonic bebop-
.


blues and jazz. Also included are Gaye Delanghe of the University's
School of Dance and Jay Stielstra, an Ann Arbor playwright and musi-
cian who is well known at the Old Town for his original Blue Grass
Folk sound.
The Performance Network's theatre troupe LA! will perform Dorothy
Parker's, "Here We Are." According to Anne Stoll, marketing manager
for the Network, "The show provides a really good variety of Ann Ar-
bor performers and a sampler of what the community has to offer artis-
tically."
The fundraiser will be emceed by Joe Tiboni of Joe's Star Lounge in
Exile, and between all the performances Dan Bruell will show an mon-
tage of '60s film clips arranged to music. The Wild Swan Theatre,
which performs mainly for children, will also participate in the show
and will stage their dramatic folk tale in sign language as well as ver-
bally.
According to Sandy Wilder of the Wild Swan Theatre, these
performers are "showing a mutual concern for each other's art work."
Wilder says that it is important for the community to support the Per-

formance Network because it is really the only theatre which provides
performing space to artists not connected with the University.
The variety show, which all begins at 7 p.m., will wind up with a
modern dance performance by Whitley Setrakian's group People Danc-
ing. The performances are scheduled to last until 9:30 p.m. and will be
followed up by a late night dance party. The Iodine Raincoats, a popular
Ann Arbor rock group, will provide the music.
"This is a rare opportunity for people to get an overview of Ann Ar-
bor's finest performing community, under one roof and for one price,"
says Stoll. The doors will open at 6 p.m. for hors d'oeuvres and re-
freshments.
Admission to RAISE THE ROOF is $12 for the entire evening and
$4 for the dance party only. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Advance tickets are available at Afterwords, Westside Books, and Herb
David's Guitar Studio. The Performance Network is located at 408 West
Washington. For more information call, 663-0681.

'T


y ..G
. a
.M

Records
Yo La Tengo
New Wave Hotdogs
Coyote Records
Yo La Tengo's second album,
New Wave Hotdogs, will not sur-
prise those who recently witnessed
their powerful, engrossing warm-up
set for the Volcano Suns at the Blind
Pig. Their new album bristles with
the seemingly inexhaustible emo-
tional energy of that performance
(they stretched a Lou Reed cover into
an explosive 20-minute all-out jam
session) while clearly establishing.
them as an innovative rock and roll
trio.
The band's sound is unusual;
dreary angst-filled vocals are re-
freshed by a waterfall of swirling,
foaming guitar, bass, and drums.
The lyrics explore the human psy-
che; the delicate micronetwork of
confusing emotions fusing the
heart's reckless abandon with the
brain's sobering rationality. A per-
fect example of this is the folksy
"Did I Tell You?" featuring Ira Ka-
plan's Dylanesque vocals and fluent,
tear-filled acoustic guitar lines. Ka-
plan spills his guts over a. stalled
love affair without bleating a single
line of wishy-washy, stereotypical
love-song bullshit.f
"Clunk!" is a power-rocker domi-
nated by Kaplan's searing, prehis-
toric guitar solos and Stephen
Wichnewski's riveting bassline.
Georgia Hubley batters her drum set,
pounding out a ferocious rhythm
that perfectly paces the song. "Shy
Dog" is a smooth, sensitive lament
with wistful lines like "Why does
time move so slow?/Why must my
life go on?" In addition, ex-Db's
guitarist Chris Stamey makes a
guest appearance on a couple tunes
including "Lewis," a flowing in-


the Dead Kennedys and the Cruci-
fucks versus Toxic Reasons and the
Violent Femmes. It's pretty easy to
follow the fight; at times it's obvi-
ous that the Kennedys and the CF's
are the rulers of the ring, and then
TR and the Femmes will turn it
around in the style of "King Kong"
Bundy with a body slam to the mat
to emerge on top to to dominate the
grooves for a while. The oscillation
continues throughout the LP, serv-
ing to reveal the other sides of this
band's personality.
Their humor breaks out on "The
Egg Shell Walk," a piano, guitar,
and saxophone reprimand of the
binding societal strings we all fee.
Diversity rules "Big Bad Western,"
an ear splitten', butt breakin' par-
ody of the western cowboys, who
"blow like tumble weeds in the hot
desert wind," while they're
"thirsting for knowledge." The song
even has six guest musicians, in-
cluding Gordon Gano for the punk
rockers, so you know its gotta be
good.
Unequalled in greatness is the
last song, "Who'll Be the One." It's
a touching little ditty, complete
with a little lyrical drawing of a
blank face superimposed by a ques-
tion mark. They really want to
know. It also sums up their ideas
on music, "It took all of us to write
this song/Who cares if its good...
and who cares if its long/But we did
it together and thats what
counts/'cause we're after the mo-
ment - and not the amount."
Gosh they'e great. But better'
still, this song sounds exactly like
Led Zeppelin.
Robert Flaggert
Marc Johnson's Bass
Desires
Second Sight
ECM Records

Marc Johnson's Bass Desires ig
Peter Erskine on drums, Johni
Scofield and Bill Frisell on guitars"
and Marc Johnson on bass, four-
widely known and well respected jazz'
musicians blending to create jazz
music that's original and fresh. Thisit.
is the band's second album, and
though they are brought together by.
Johnson, the project is a shared,,
group experience. -
The first two songs, "Crossing.
the Corpus Callosum" and "Small
hands," are written by Johnson and
Frisell respectively. They are mor--
bid, moody fusion instrumentals,
and the performers capture a wildly.
radicle flavor in the pieces. The
record then shifts gears'dramatically~
as it moves into the next song,
"Sweet Soul" by Peter Erskine. It
jams to an impulsive jazz/soul
rhythm that never stops moving.
"Twister," the next piece, by
Scofield, follows suite with a rock-
ing re-working of "Twist an d
Shout."
Side two starts out with another
song by Scofield, "Thrill Seekers,"_
then goes into "Prayer Beads,"
Johnson's solo bass contribution to
the album. It exemplifies why he is
- not only a technical master of his,
instrument, but also a creative force
to be reckoned with. Frisell's "1951"
has a slight country twang to it and
the album is closed with Johnson's*
"Hymn For Her," a slow and sooth-
ing song which is a fitting end to,
such a diverse album.
Second Sight is a uniquely spe- 1
cial record. The songs are top-notch,.
the musicians are fine playerss, and
the song selection is rounded and
thoughtful, never complacent, and,'
never a dull moment. If jazz is your
love, then this album will be your'
lover.
-Akim D. Reinhardt3 .

Yo La Tengo combine the hippest influences of the east and midwest on their steam-cooked new album 'New Wave
Hotdogs.'

strumental sparked by Stamey's per-
fectly plucked guitar solos.
Overall, this is an excellent al-
bum. Yo La Tengo's creative leader,
Ira Kaplan, infuses each song with a
fresh splash of sound and a healthy
dose of blushing sincerity. New
Wave Hotdogs is blazing rock and
roll from a very creative trio.

- Todd Shanker
Dragons.

this than to the Ramones' material.
Because of that, and Sean Dick-
son's slightly nasal vocals, a more
accurate comparison would be with
the Buzzcocks. However while the
Buzzcocks were known for their few
standout tracks, nothing here really
jumps out at you. Always adequate,
never spactacular. Like Buzzcocks-
inspired filler.
And that's what keeps this bird
on the ground; everything blends to-
gether into one droning track. Hang
Ten! is actually a compilation of
the Dragons' U.K. singles. Perhaps
it all worked better when the songs
were released apart from eachother.
It would be good to see this band
go somewhere. They have the feel

for good fun rock. Now it's just a
matter of learning a little variation.
-Marc I. Whinston
False Prophets
Implosion
Alternative Tentacles
Hey, I agree that Alternative
Tentacles is a pretentious record la-
bel, and heck, although I disagreed
with the charges, I thought it was
funny when Jello Biafra got the
cuffs slapped on last year. But these
guys... they really are prophets.
They rock, to quote the Scorpions,
"like a hurricane."
The False Prophets' tunes are
like a tag team wrestling 'bout of

The Soup
Hang Ten!
Sire Records

Lots of energy here, from these
raw-rockin' Scotts. The emphasis is
on the guitars, and the music often
has a slightly Ramonesy feel to it,
although there's more complexity to

Read
au+d
Ube
C&Lai6ed

r------------------------------------
I 1
REWARD FOR APPLYING AT
'I -___I
I . I
I where there are immediate openings
I for full and part-time closing shifts
with the following benefits:
I - Starting wage up to $4.50/hr. I
I . Free meals I
I " Free uniform I
. Advancement opportunities .
- Regular wage reviews
-*Vacation bonuses
. Incentive program
I when you come in to apply, bring this ad I
I and receive a free Frosty. Apply at our new
I North Campus location at 1655 Plymouth Rd. I
I _
I - -- Equal Opportunity Employer-

I

THE
HAPPY
TAILOR
NEED A NEW
TUXEDO
FOR
FORMAL?


HOLIDAY PARTIES?
Very reasonably priced
ONLY $175
313 S. State
Upstairs from
Continental Restaurant
996-2644

JIL.m
University of Michigan Library
Preservation Awareness Corner
Answer
A, B, and C are correct. Optical digital data disk technology is
expensive and still unproven as an acceptable preservation
tool. Answer D is not true; one of the advantages of optical
technology is the enormous storage capacity of the data disk.
Researchers still cannot guarantee that the disks will store

I PREPARE FOR:

1

MIM,dmt . toa