ARTS
The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, March 15, 1989
Page 5
'Garden grows following, hair
BY MIKE RUBIN
THIS evening's weather forecast
calls for cold and rainy conditions,
but that big bombastic boom like
thunder squared and darkness doubled
you'll hear at about 11:30 p.m.
won't be meteorological in the
slightest. Instead, the earth-splitting
squall will be Seattle homeboys and
A & M recording artists Soundgarden
making their Ann Arbor debut at the
Blind Pig.
The shaggy quartet has been
kicking out their version of arena
rock without the Bic lighters for the
last four years, roaring through a
rather meteoric route to the thorny
precipice of hair-wag success. On the
basis of just a single and two EPs
(1987'sScreaming Life and 1988's
Kingdom of Come) for the grungier-
than-thou Sub Pop label and Ultra-
mega OK, their recent debut LP on
SST, the band has been signed to
perform their leadfooted whomp 'n'
wallop for corporate giant A & M. If
all this wasn't enough to ensure a
loud and glorious future for the
group, their selection by Guns N
Poses' singer Axl Rose as one of his
favorite bands (in the Rolling Stone
celebrity poll) certainly has them
earmarked for fame and fortune
among mainstream mall rats and
college radio coneheads alike.
Despite some sonic similarities to
Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath,
however, Soundgarden are not to be
misconstrued as total '70s retreads or
dinosaur descendents. Their hair may
have reached Samsonite lengths, their
riffs may be heavy as cement
sneakers, and singer Chris Cornell's
he-banshee whoops and wails may be
reminiscent of King Diamond as
much as Robert Plant, but the band
displays plenty of characteristics of
the post-hardcore era, not just the
Pre-Cambrian.
For starters, their use of tape
samples and found sounds on
Screaming Life's "Hand of God,"
their faithfully funky cover of the
Ohio Players "Fopp," and Ultramega
OK' 's two brief art/fart noise pieces,
"665" and "667," are anything but an
AOR cliche, and the band still retains
the 0-90 m.p.h. in ten seconds ap-
proach of their punk rock roots. In
fact, Soundgarden at their best are a
streamlined synthesis of the above-
and underground musical develop-
ments of the last ten years: heavy
metal guitar whiplash run through a
spiked leather gauntlet, or album
rock radio blasted on a beat-to-shit
jam box with a Minor Threat sticker
on it.
Despite the possibilites of en-
croaching stadium superstardom, the
band has maintained a healthy sense
of humor about it all. They covered
the somewhat-less-than-dusty chest-
nut "Swallow My Pride" by fellow
Seattle slime merchants Green River,
they based an entire remix of "Fopp"
around Raymond Burr's melodramatic
mayday message in the original film
version ofGodzilla, and their version
of Howlin' Wolf's classic (and
Grateful Dead standard) "Smokestack
Lightning" contains a scratchy snip-
pet of Sonic Youth's "Death Valley
'69," an indie in-joke that refers back
to the Sonic's inclusion of the
Stooges' "Not Right" on their 1985
Bad Moon Rising LP. In the face of
a veritable onslaught of stale-joke-
and-rimshot bands like the Dead
Milkmen and They Might Be Giants,
flogged-horse gimmicks like disco
revivals and polyester costumes, and
super-serious death trippers intent on
too much junkie business (you fill in
the band here), it's refreshing indeed
to find a group able to flex a musical
muscle but still with the presence of
mind to crack a smile.
Barring the unlikely occurrence of
a buying boycott (the result of a
sludge rock backlash by short-haired
fanzine editors), Soundgarden will
emerge in the months to come as one
of the "hot new bands" on the head-
bang circuit. So avoid the crowd:
catch them now, before the bleacher
seats and t-shirt vendors spoil the
view.
SOUNDGARDEN will play at the
Blind Pig tonight. Cover is $6.
- ,
Morehouse confirms chorale traditions
BY MARGIE HEINLEN
FAITH is on the rise. You can see it in politics
- the condemnation of drunken sinner John
Tower; in literature - Islamic attacks on heretic
Salman Rushdie; and even music - the evange-
lism of George Michael. But I'm not talking
}about puritanism or fundamentalism - I'm
talking about soul. Morehouse College's Men's
Choir has got more soul than Michael, is cer-
tainly less commercial and God knows he
wouldn't give a free concert, well, unless it was
for a really, really good cause.
These 50 sonorous male voices have per-
formed in Africa, the Carribbean and throughout
the United States and Canada. A capella and with
accompaniment, Morehouse Choir selections
range from folk to big band but focus on spiritu-
University choral group the Friars
first invited Morehouse here in
1968 to see how the boys from
Atlanta do it.
als by Black American composers, many from
the repertoire of their own founder. Dr. Windall
Whalum, famous music historian, organist, con-
ductor and composer, founded the Morehouse
College Choir and brought music to many other
Black colleges.
Ann Arbor has strong ties to the Morehouse
group. University choral group the Friars first
invited Morehouse here in 1968 to see how the
boys from Atlanta do it. Present Conductor
David Morrow is a graduate of the University
School of Music, and our own, venerable vice
Soundgarden, under the aegis of an A&M recording contract and a
big thumbs-up from Axl Rose, could be on their way to being the biggest
thing to come out of Seattle since the 747.
BETTER THAN THE BATHROOM WALLS!
c IGive your message a
VeZOIY&21Touch...
e ~tA itui 0 D t Personals
764-0557
FREE TUJTORING
available in all lower level Math, Science,
and Engineering Courses
UGLi
President of Student Services, Henry Johnson,
can apparently carry a tune - he's an alumni of
the Choir.
If your Mom is like mine, you can tell her,
yes, you went to church and gave (without won-
dering if you are supporting any fundamentalist
or puritanical causes) and not have to go to con-
fession for lying later. Have a little faith and
check it out.
THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE MEN'S
CHOIR will do their own thing at the School of
Music's Dean William Patterson's "Our Own
Thing Chorale" tonight at the First Congrega-
tional Church on E. William tonight at 7:30
p.m. There is no admission fee, however dona-
tions are being taken at the door. They don't take
Visa or Mastercard but checks are acceptable
(seriously) and of course, the standard, hard cash.
Rm. 307
East Lounge
Mon,Wed,Thur
BURSLEY
Mon ,Wed
SOUTH QUAD
7-11 pm
8-10 pm
8-10 pm
8-10 pm
ZI.
Dining Room
Mon,Wed
Auditions and Opportunities runs Wednesdays on the Michigan Daily
Arts page. If you have information regarding any auditions or theater
opportunities, contact Theater Editor Cherie Curry at 763-0379.
FcGET AGREAT
SUMMER JOB.
GET TO THE POINT.
Library
A Service of
Mon, Wed
MARY MARKLEY
the following Honor Societies:
Tau Beta Pi
Eta Kappa Nu
Adams
Continued from Page 1
ture. Adams explained the social rel-
evance of his work (none), his prob-
lems with deadlines (many), his fa-
vorite Dire Straits song ("Tunnel of
Love"), and how to make the infa-
mous Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (it
has gin in it, but unfortunately,
can't be made under normal atmo-
spheric conditions). He interspersed
the questions with anecdotes of his
career as a writer and producer,
thoughts on his favorite writers, and
his feelings about his own writing.
Unfortunately for his many fans,
a project to make The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy into a major
movie has been shelved, although an
adaption is possible for The Long
Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Adams
is currently producing a series of
BBC radio segments on the lives of
animals. One of these segments was
recorded in China. From his experi-
ences there he was able to explain to
the audience the proper BBC proce-
dure for waterproofing a microphone
- wrapping a condom around it -
and how difficult it is to buy con-
doms in Shanghai when you are un-
able to speak Chinese and must rely
on hand gestures.
In the future, Adams said that he
wishes to create an "interactive
multi-media" version of the Hitch-
hiker's game.
Although no future Hitchhiker's
books are planned, Adams said he
plans to keep writing until he runs
out of ideas. For a man who created
a starship that goes places by figur-
ing out exactly how improbable it
would be to go there, a planet where
everybody claims to be a virgin (but
isn't), and put a restaurant and
cabaret at the End of the Universe,
this could be a long career indeed.
This summer,
you could once
again get the
same old
boring, just-
make-some-j
money job. Or
a job that's so
much fun, it has
an amusement park built
right in. Ajob at The Point.
Cedar Point.
Right now, Cedar Point
is looking to fill 3200 posi-
tions in over 100 different
NO APPOINTMENT NECES
DATE: Thurs., March 16, 1
TIME:10 am.-4 p.m.
LOCATION: Michigan Unio
Summer Job Fair
CONTACT: The Summer Job Fair,
March 16 in the
Michigan Union
areas of the
park. We'll
pay you well,
and you'll
have the
opportunity to
earn a bonus. We
have a great hous-
ing and recreation pro-
gram. And it'sjust steps from
a terrific Lake Erie beach.
Make friends for life, and
gain valuable lifetime ex-
perience. Make this year's
summer job Cedar Point.
;SARY
989
)n
Get to the Point.
CEDR PO!NT®
u
I
NICHGA$
gambling, games, and a good time
Alpha Pi Mu-
ponsored in part by: GENERAL ELECTRIC,UMEC,MSA
Friday, March 17
3:00 p.m.
Keynote Address
Phyllis Frelich
Broadway Star of Children of a Lesser God
Mendelssohn Theatre
4:15 p.m.
Lecture/Demonstration
"Sign to Word - Word to Sign"
Mendelssohn Theatre
8:00 p.m.
Performance
"A Handful of Voices"
School of Music Recital Hall
Saturday, March 18
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Panel discussion
"Linguistic and Cultural Considerations
of Sign Language Theatre"
Trueblood Theatre
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Workshop led by National Theatre of the Deaf
Trueblood Theatre
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion
"Performance Aesthetics of Sign Language Theatre"
Trueblood Theatre
The above program is open to the public at no cost.
8:00 p.m.
Performance
King of Hearts
Power Center
Tickets are $15, available at the
Michigan Union Box Office
Staged
Hands:
Sign Language Translation
in the Theatre
Wednesday, March 15
9:30pm Battle of the Bands
Thursday, March 16
9:30pm Battle of the Bands
Friday, March 17
9:00pm Jazz Cafe
Saturday, March 18*
8:00pm Arcade
Battle of the Bands Finals
Carnival
Jostens Gold Sale. For one week only. Order and save on the gold ring of your choice. I