ARTS The Michigan Daily Tuesday, March 1, 1988 Page 5 Guitar innovato By Michael Fischer Not since the halcyon days of Hendrix and Page in the late '60s, perhaps, has a period seen as much excitement over new innovations in guitar playing as in the last five years or so. For instance, the post- punk scene - notably the highly- processed minimalism of The Edge and the two-handed, keyboard-like jazz playing of Stanley Jordan - have suggested a whole variety of new approaches. It's interesting, though, to notice that some of the most influential six-string develop- ments on the '80s guitar scene have had their origins in folk, a genre of- ten known for conservative strum- ming. Tonight, a remarkably matched double-bill at the Michigan Theatre will feature two players - Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke - who have broadened the horizons of the folk scene to widespread acclaim with distinctively inventive, impos- sible-to-categorize styles. In fact, midwesterner Kottke be- gan playing gigs in 1965 at the Minneapolis club where Bob Dylan started out. Although he had never taken a guitar lesson, Kottke's play- ors join tures more instrumentation than of stun usual, such as acoustic, electric, and ability. synth guitars, an array of strings, synthe and drums. Indeed, his styles range simulta widely enough that Kottke has punctua toured with artists as diverse as The ing an Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and The him a Mahivishnu Orchestra. On this tour, colors though, Kottke will be in more fa- stunnin miliar company. Evid( Like Kottke, Michael Hedges of- from t ten sings but prefers to speak latesti through his dexterous hands at the more o guitar. Although rooted in the folk ing, r tradition, the pleasant although sound- sometimes pedestrian ambient fin- on jazz ger-picking of 1981's Breakfast in Pat Me the Field established Hedges's name cal pie in New Age circles. But 1984's tionalf brilliant Aerial Boundaries really lyrics.1 signified Hedges's arrival as a player such of nning musical and technical His approach, an ambitious sis of spacious timing and aneous rhythm/lead picking, ated by his trademark scratch- d bursts of harmonics, gives full-enough palette of sonic to singlehandedly assay a ng variety of styles. Bence of this is found on Live the Double Planet, Hedges' release. His instrumentals, ften evocative than entertain- ange from pretty, ambient pictures to manic variations zy themes, a sort of acoustic theny on speed. And his vo- ces feature gorgeous, tradi- harmonies and richly poetic His solo re-creation on stage )f multi-layered compositions for tour: is breathtaking in itself, but Hedges further stirs up his concert set with surprising covers: Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," a stripped- down run at Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre," and a sing-along of the Beatles' "Come Together." In all, the range of possibilities that both Hedges and Kottke bring their instrument is remarkable. As Hedges says in his classic introduc- tion to the live version of "The Funky Avocado," "This sort of starts out with a medium R&B tempo, eases out into hard rock, and ends in a fit of disco fury." And all orb an acoustic guitar. MICHAEL HEDGES and LEO KOTTKE perform tonight at the Michigan Theatre. The show starts at 8 p.m., but doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $14.50. I I MICHIGAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE A University of Michigan Student Journal of Political Studies call for more in form a tio n: 763-1691 or 764-7829 Acoustic stylist Michael Hedges shows his old hippie-look- though he will sport a crew-cut onstage with Leo Kottke tonight at the Michigan Theatre. ing soon brought him uncommon commercial success for his type of music; even his first of 15 albums, Records Stewart Copeland The Equalizer and Other Cliff Hangers IRS/No Speak Records New release from the former drummer for The Police is the cornerstone fo the first batch of instrumental/New Music albums from IRS. Copeland plays all the instruments on a date of varying quality. Some of the tunes are as effective as the best of his previously released film scores. Others seem to be a bit cluttered, as if he were trying too hard. The production is self-concious and very "now/slick." Is this the goal of No Speak? I wish the drums sounded more like drums. Ah, well. At its best the album is good wild fun. Most fans should be well pleased. -Marc S. Taras released in 1969, has sold almost 500,000 copies. And his complex, multi-layered style has garnered him even more success within guitar- playing circles. Kottke has won an array of awards, including the five- time distinction of "Best Folk Gui- tarist" from Guitar Player magazine and inclusion in its "Hall of Fame." Despite his identification as a folk artist, Kottke's eclectic taste for blues, classical, jazz, and pop music and his idiosyncratic approach -si- multaneously weaving different melodic and rhythmic lines with the fingers of his strumming hand - have widened the scope of his art beyond simple labels. Kottke's current tour comes right on the heels of a new album, Re- gards from Chuck Pink, which fea- CALL FOR PAPERS The Editors accept papers from all disciplines: theory, sociology, methodology, psychology, American politics, political economy, international relations, and more... All submitted works must be double-spaced typed, preferably on an Apple Macintosh disk, and between 10-50 pages long. Send or deliver all submissions to: MICHIGAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 6619 HAVEN HALL ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1045 ,. Students: Did Your Professor Penalize You for A CLASS ACT SENIOR PLEDGE PROGRAM Honoring the M.L.K. Day Boycott of Classes? BUILD A TRADITION r 14 The Michigan Student Assembly endorsed the M.L.K. Day boycott of classes and asked that professors and TAs accomodate students who honored the boycott. If a professor or TA did not accomodate your absence from class on M.L..Day, please call the Michigan Student Assembly at 763-3241 or visit fi ., } 7 ...' Kristin Baker Greg Brehm Robert C. Clauser, Jr. Mary Ann Daviera Maria Fomin Debra D. Facktor Christine Hess Ashish Jain Jennifer Jelinek Stacy Jenkins Mimi Keidan Kent Kimmerer Rita M. Konwinski Ann Kucera Jeff Kuvin Lauren Lane Carol Lowry Kim McLand Andy Rubinson Jodi A. 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