Page 8-The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition - Thursday, September 6, 1990
.Cine
Both deviant, mainstream
served by local film houses
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The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition - Thursd
idea where you can go. Luckily, you
picked an activity that, unlike dwarf-
tossing, Ann Arbor is known to
excel in, so here are your options.
There are currently four major
film societies on campus which usu-
ally show two different films a night
on weekends and sometimes on
weekdays as well. Most of them are
shown in campus lecture halls cryp-
tically described in the newspaper as
MLB3 or AudA, which stand for the
Modern Language Building and Au-
ditorium A in Angell Hall, respec-
tively. If you're lucky, you may end
up watching a film in the same
room in which you asked the person
out - how romantic!
If you want to impress your
classmate with your avant-garde in-
tellectualism, the Ann Arbor Film
Cooperative (AAFC) is for you. The
oldest film group in Ann Arbor, the
AAFC shows interesting films that
Cry-Baby, with Johnny Depp, was
first shown in public to Michigan
students, courtesy of Mediatrics.
by Brent Edwards
So, you finally talked to that cute
person who sits beside you in De-
viant Behavior 101 and you asked
that person out to a movie, only you
later realize that you have yet to see
a film in Ann Arbor and have no
you've probably never heard of and
will never be able to see again.
From a collection of surreal shorts
to foreign films being touted as Eu-
rope's answer to Eraserhead, they
will definitely give you something
to talk about afterwards such as,
"What just happened?"
If you don't want to risk making
your friend uncomfortable by seeing
a film where a woman makes plaster
molds of erect penises while spout-
ing out socialist philosophy, you
might want to try the less far out
but still impressive Cinema Guild
(CG). CG also shows lesser-seen
films but usually critically acclaimed
classics. They provide a chance for
you to see the "canon" of must-see
films if you're going to be taken se-
riously as a film goer, and you'll
discover that not only are Ingmar
Bergman and French New Wave
films intelligent but they're fun to
watch. Besides, you'll finally be able
to understand half of Woody Allen's
jokes which refer to these films.
Watch out for Cary Grant films,
however, unless you ready to match
his suaveness afterwards.
BANDS
Continued from page 3
as the Laughing Hyenas, are
arguably Big Chief. According to
ex-Necro and Big Chief Vocalist
Barry Henssler, the band plays
"abrasive but danceable" heavy metal
with a bit of funk. Local Big Chief
shows become events because of
their rarity and the expectant gaggle
of talk that surrounds it. Though by
no means a straight cover band, they
do a cover of Funkadelic's "Super
Stupid" that tears and thrashes the
original into musical outer space.
They won't be around much in the
fall though. Barry Henssler, vocalist,
reports, "The three singles we have
out are going to be compiled on an
album with three more unreleased
tracks and its going to be only be
released in Europe in September and
we are going to tour Europe in
October."
The Iodine Raincoats have re-
cently changed their line-up and now
sport progressive rock edge and a so-.
cial conscious, influenced by Living
Colour. A Rick's regular for a cou-
ple of years, they have evolved from
a cover band into an all original set.
All this and it's danceable, too.
Vinyl from the old version is still
available and something from the
new should be out soon.
Speaking of movement to song,
over and over again, Frank Allison
& the Odd Sox reign as the fun
rock band to see. Sox vox master
Frank sings thoughtful lyrics and
makes funny faces while his Sox
jam out the mellow but danceable
rhythms that have gained a strong
local following. An eponymous LP
is still available featuring many of
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RUTH LITTMANNDMaiy
The Michigan Theater shows standards like Stop Making Sense and
Monty Python movies, as well as hosting first run movies like Henry:
Portrait of a Serial Killer and Wings of Desire.
L I
Would you rather catch a film
that both of you missed -a few
months ago but know will be a sure
bet, such as The Little Mermaid or
Dead Poets Society? Mediatrics, a
part of the University Activities
Center, should suit you. Showing
mainly new films and the odd Hitch-
cock, Mediatrics is aimed towards
mass appeal and frequently fills up
the halls to capacity so get there
early (it's considered gauche to have
to sit apart because you can't find
THE LEGENDARY
8-BALL SALOON
" Serving Ann Arbor for over 18 years
" Featuring LIVE MUSIC with some of
today's hottest bands!
I ". * Pool PASS TV
*Darts "*Video Games
Washington St.
Blind
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open Ipm-2am - 7 days a week - 208 S. First - 996-8555
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two seats together). You won't want
to miss the Looney Toons cartoon
they always show before a feature ei-
ther.
Hill Street Cinema (HSC) is a
relatively new group that has slowly
built its reputation for a first-class
diverse schedule. Showing all their
films in the Hillel building, HSC
has films ranging from the modern
classic Angel Heart to a documen-
tary on pet cemeteries called Gates
of Heaven.
A close relative to campus cin-
ema is the Michigan Theater, located
just off central campus on Liberty
Street. Going to a film at The
Michigan is like going back in time
when movie-going was an event.
The enormous theater is gorgeously
lush with gold trim and features an
organ which plays before films and
sinks into the ground as the lights
go out. Their films changetdaily and
include off-beat first run films, clas-
sics and popular films. Get there
early to get the front-row balcony
and impress your date by throwing
popcorn on the people below.
There have been two closings of
first-run cinemas in the campus area
the past few years, so the only one
within walking distance of campus
now is the Ann Arbor I&II, which is
known for showing foreign films
and ones theater chains won't touch
(such as Mystery Train and The
Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her
Lover). Within driving distance are
typical mall theaters at Briarwood
Mall and Fox Village at the Maple
Village Shopping Center. If you
want to be alone with your
classmate then these theaters are for
you because their business has
disintegrated since the arrival of the
behemoth Showcase Cinemas two
years ago. Resembling an airport
more than a theater, Showcase
houses an extraordinary 14 theaters
and you can typically show up at
any time and expect a movie.you
See CINEMA, page 14
Don't underestimate the influence
of local wild child Iggy Pop on this
or any other music "scene."
the songs the band does live and was
recorded in Frank's kitchen or apart-
ment or some place weird like that.
From a more lizard-like back-
ground, Captain Dave and the
Psychedelic Lounge Cats features,
well, lounge music surreally done,
with some dancers wearing meat
products. Influenced by Sammy,
Frank and Gibby as well as disco and
funk, the Cats must be experienced
and not described.
Juice, that quintessential '60s
kind of band, kicks out a soul-influ-
enced but still very rock and roll
sound. Good for dancing, hanging
out, just having a good time, and
lamenting that you missed the '60s.
They have an LP out. Deadheads
love 'em.
Serious dance music with a reg-
gac/calypso beat, Trinidad Tripoli
Steel Band, are favorites of many
locals. The tropical warmth flows
with the non-stop energy.
Skinflip, playing since last
November or so, is a relative new-
comer to the scene. Influenced by X,
the Pixies, Meat Puppets, they are
danceable high energy rock-fast but
not monotone speed rock, says Jenna
Didier, one of the band's vocalists.
A more straightforward, guitar-
based rock band is Anne Be Davis.
Led by guitarist Julian Go, this band
was described by Daily music writer
Scott Kirkwood.as "College music.
Period." Infectious guitars dominate
the commercial college sound. An
album, Scouts Deposit, is available,
and they've been vigorously touring
for the past summer.
The Laughing Hyenas feature a
forceful rhythm section as strong as
a brick being thrown against a wall
made out of Silly Putty. The scav-
enging vocal prowess of John Bran-
non and the savage musical assault
of the rest of the band were baptized
by the liquid that extinguished the
incendiary Detroit hardcore scene, in
the name of one Mr. James
Osterberg (Iggy Pop to non-
participants in the baptismal fount
of trivia) of Ypsilanti. Perhaps
religiously respected more outside of
Ann Arbor than in, this band has a
number of things on vinyl to
purchase.
The Difference, that band you
saw on MTV a couple of years ago,
plays new music with synthesizers
and guitars and has energy.
Mol Triffid, a local hard rock
band, features an amazing guitarist,
Kimo Ball, a tight blow away
rhythm section and a vocalist who
spins musical yarns, adding that
touch of drama and performance over
the raging guitar and incessant, in-
sistent rhythm. Since debuting in
the summer of 1989, this band has
taken the elements of thrash, heavy
metal, subtle classical influences
(Kimo was trained as a classical gui-
tarist), and even a bit of country to
create what the bassist Dave Sahij-
dak calls "manically theatrical hard
heavy rock." They have two singles
in local record stores.
Besides those described above,
Ann Arbor is home to the Chenille
Sisters, a quirky trio of women who
sing amusing songs about life to a
somewhat older than college age au-
dience, and groups like the R o n
Brooks Trio, who play jazz at the
Last year, Nirvana impressed the heaven
They are typical of the Sub Pop recording
and limited edition vinyl.
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ROLAND
Continued from page 3
the Heidelberg "has much more
consistently good sound than any
other bar in town, (because) he has
built the system from the ground
up," explained Roland. Besides
dealing with someone dedicated to
making every show sound good, the
bands that are booked there deal
directly with Roland. "When people
book a show through me, they're
dealing with me and only me... And
what I mean is, there's no
middleman to start with and it's a
direct line of communication-they
can always get a hold of me, I won't
put them on hold. It's real personal."
Bands from out of town especially
benefit from this kind of
consideration. "They crash at my
house, I feed them. I'm there at the
door, I'm backstage. I'm there as a
stage manager." Because of this
attitude, the Heidelberg now is
known as a good place to play.
What one sees at the Club is a
solid mix of local and national
alternative bands as well as poetry
slams. Some of the national acts that
have played in the past year include
Tiny Lights, the Melvins, Scrawl,
and Babes in Toyland.
Local bands also benefit from the
Club's more open booking policies.
Skinflip, a fairly new band, have
played at the Heidelberg a couple of
times. Jenna Didier, one of the
vocalists for the band, stated "The
Heidelberg is definitely more
accessible to new bands.... It seems
like Roland realizes that many times
the bands he lets play there, it's their
first time out and they're going to
sound like shit and I really respect
his willingness to let bands go out
and thrash around a bit and maybe
not please the audience that much . .
. It's been nice when we've played
there because he'll give us feedback
and he'll give us advice instead of
just paying us and telling us to get
out."
Dave Sahijdak, bassist in the
local band Mdl Triffid, thinks the
Heidelberg has filled a void in the
Ann Arbor music scene. "The
Heidelberg is a ruling place to see
bands. The Heidelberg has been
fantastic for Ann Arbor. The local
scene has improved ... you can go
somewhere and see bands on a
regular basis. A couple of years ago
a good band would come every once
in a while to the Blind Pig and that
was about it unless you wanted to go
to
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in Ann Arbor
10% Discount with Student i.d.
CREPES . MEATLESS LASAGNA'- UNIQUE SALADS
HOMEMADE SOUPS - QUICHES . SUNDAYS
MUFFINS' FROZEN YOGURT SHAKES
I
I
I
I
COUPON
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Good for one free admission*
19 and older pleaseI
* except for concerts 916/91 exp.
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