Page 8--The Michigan Daily- Monday, February 10, 1992
I I
The Bevis Frond
New River Head
Woronzow/Reckless
The Bevis Frond, darlings of the British psychedelic underground, have
released another stunning album. Their latest effort, New River Head,
proves band leader Bevis is much more than simply a virtuoso of straight
psychedelia.
"Undertaker," a song Bevis has called "thrunge-gash" (one-upping
those who'd call it grunge or even punk), and the folk tune "Waving" go
far beyond the echoing-guitar-and-organ formula, yet the album retains
much of Frond's freakout spirit.
Don't confuse the Bevis Frond with much of the drivel that passes for
psychedelia these days. (Speaking of confusion, Bevis Frond is the alter-ego
of Nick Saloman, who does just about everything in the band called the
Bevis Frond. The guy's imaginary, the band isn't. Got it?)
Saloman's songs are current and meaningful, not hazy, wistful (and
pale) imitations of past bands. and eras. Sure, he uses an organ, and his echo
unit works overtime, but he's playing unique music, not madly copping
someone else's work or style.
Even at his indulgent best - check out "The Miskatonic Variations II",
16 minutes of majestic meanderings and audio anarchy - Frond's wild in-
spirations come from the present day. In "It Won't Come Again," Bevis
takes a jab at the "'60s retro" bands who have recently multiplied like a
patch of spoiled magic mushrooms. Nick sings, "It's a joke to pretend / The
coloured lights and the groovy clothes / They only illustrate that no one
knows where it's gone / And it won't come again."
When listening to those other bands, the listener is reminded of what
bands sounded like in the summer of 1969. When listening to a Frond track
like "Drowned," one thinks to the future of great psychedelic music. This
is the real thing, folks: the kind of psychedelia that makes you think you've
smoked one too many banana peels.
Bevis Frond is a one-man wonder. Besides travelling under the name
Nick Saloman, Bevis plays guitar, bass, and organ on the album, wrote and
sung the lyrics, and also happens to be the founder of the Woronzow label.
But Saloman does have a little help from his friends and previous Frond
collaborators Cyke Bancroft and Adrian Shaw, as well as having the excel-
lent punkster Martin Crowley handling the drums. New River Head is the
Frond's second album to be professionally recorded, as opposed to taping
on a 4-track recorder in Nick's bedroom.
Saloman's unique vocal and guitar style leave an even better impression
now that the listener can hear them clearly. With so many factors* in the
band's favor, I can safely say New River Head is as good an album as Jimi
Hendrix's Axis: Bold as Love, with none of the same songs. (Naturally,
with so much praise of Saloman's psychedelic prowess, I had to mention.
Soloist Dafinah Blacksher is lifted by a sea of dancers in Bill DeYoung's lyrical work, Clarinet Concerto. The exuberant dance was set well agc
beautiful pastel costumes and sets.
Vivid variety gave Masterworks verve
American Masterworks
Power Center
Friday, February 7, 1992
American Masterworks presen-
ted a unique night of entertainment
for lovers of the arts. The program
was a combination of many art
forms: choreography from the dance
minds of Martha Graham and sev-
eral University faculty members;
music of great American composers
such as Leonard Bernstein, Norman
Dello Joio and Aaron Copland as
performed by the Ann Arbor Sym-
phony Orchestra; and painterly set
designs by Patricia Moore.
The evening began with a dance
composed by Professor Gay De-
langhe, set to Copland's "Fanfare
for the Common Man." The brief
pas de deux of Matthew Rose and
Janet Lilly consisted of their run-
ning around in a circle, arms inter-
twined, with a few variations.
Though it reflected the tone of
the music, the dance was not as ex-
citing and evocative as Delanghe's
"Fan-fare II" dance, accompanied by
Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Un-
common Woman No. 1." Here, Rose
and Lilly combined triumphant ges-
tures with flaming orange banners.
The second "Fanfare" was full of
more expressive, varied and vivid
movements which involved the au-
dience on a more personal level.
Even if no dancers had appeared
on stage for "Clarinet Concerto," a
dance set to Copland's "Concerto
for Clarinet and Orchestra," it
would have been worthwhile just to
stare at Moore's astounding aquatic-
colored set - a work of art recall-
ing that of Frankenthaler or
O'Keefe.
Professor Bill DeYoung chore-
ographed "Clarinet Concerto" in
which the performers frequently
entered and exited at a dizzying
pace. Soloist Dafinah Blacksher
showed great discipline within her
jerky, angular movements, like
those of a marionette. She con-
trolled her exuberant energy, chan-
neling it into her performance.
In contrast to the fluid, abstract
"Clarinet Concerto" was the
evening's most comical scene, "Big
City," which chronicled a typical
day in the busy streets of New
York, circa 1940.
Professor Linda Spriggs' chore-
ography gave all of the ensemble
dancers their own stories to tell, as
if it were a silent movie. The cast of
characters ranged from a shadowy
thief (Jennifer Tietz) to a bratty
child (Rebecca Shubart) and her
frazzled mother (Cary McWil-
liam). The choreography was effec-
tive because the frenetic action made
for a good match to Bernstein's up-
beat, brassy, big band tribute,
"Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs."
"Diversion of Angels," by the
late Martha Graham, with Dello
Joio's score, was one of the high-
lights of the entire show. Authen-
ticity was preserved, from the emo-
tional dancing down to a recon-
struction of the original costumes
and lighting.
The dancers showed an amazing
grasp of Graham's complicated and
stirring choreography. Danielle
Archer, as the Woman in Red, man-
aged not only to focus her dancing in
statue-like poses, but she also suc-
ceeded in her leaping and bounding.
Also noteworthy was the Cou-
ple in White (Janet Lilly and Kevin
Clayborn) who possessed a roman-
tic view of young love. The piece
gave viewers who had never seen
Graham's work an insight into her
pioneer position in modern dance; as
well, the American Masterworks
concert offered our own faculty pi-
oneers and their distinct visions.
- Aaron Hamburger
Hendrix somewhere).
-Jeremy Lechtzin
BOOKS
Continued from page 5
whom you will suspect a blood re-
lation with the infamous Walter
Mitty) manages to plan, execute,
and bungle the perfect crime, and yet
lA
Thurber
still reap the benefits is indeed a
true masterpiece.
So thank you, Robert Lopresti
for corralling such a wonderful
sampling of Thurber's work. It is
exactly what this world - over-
flowing with berets, coffee shops,
and angst - needs. It's a simple re-
minder that good writing can still
be fun, entertaining, and, above all, a
4 joy to read.
-A J. Hogg
Frost on the Window
Mary Stuart
William Morrow and Company
When I realized that the major-
ity of the poems in Frost on the
Window reflected Mary Stuart's in-
terest in traditional, romantic
themes, I dreaded reading the book.
It began with the table of con-
tents. Poems entitled "Persephone"
and "Shall We Mourn Mortal
Lovers?" seemed shamelessly sappy
and over-dramatic. Skimming the ti-
tles of the poems, I envisioned verse
after flowery verse about Eve, Gaia,
and a host of Greek goddesses.
My negative attitude persisted
through the first quarter of the
book, but then I began to think that
maybe this wasn't a mere collection
of poetic drivel. A good portion of
the poems actually were enjoyable
and well-written.
The first section contains Stu-
art's earliest work, inspired by
Greek myths. Although the subject
matter is nothing new, the imagery
stands out. In "Centaurs," Stuart's
specialization in nostalgic images of
nature is apparent. "Here they were
Seen any good shows lately?
Read any good books?
Think you've got insight?
reallythink people care about your opinion?
Think you could do better, eh?
Do you
Write for Fine Arts, Books or Theater!
Call 763-0379 and ask for Elizabeth or Mike.
yesterday / Fetlocks planted in the
peat-brown stream, / Shearing the
water as it slid like silk / Over the
shelf of slate to lucent depths."
At first glance, some of the ti-
tles seem to hint at shallow or un-
original poems. However, Stuart
manages to convey her emotions and
insights through natural images,
demonstrating more depth than one
would normally expect from poems
about songbirds, flowers, and
springtime.
It is in the second and third sec-
tions, though, in the poems "Cain"
and the "Poems of Merlin," that
her skills are best demonstrated.
"Cain" concentrates, in eight po-
ems, on Biblical themes. These re-
veal Adam and Eve's fear and loss at
their expulsion from Eden, Cain's
sudden realization of his brother's
murder, and his inability to hide
from God.
Stuart manages to
convey ... more depth
than one would
normally expect from
poems about
songbirds ...
"Poems of Merlin" are selected
from Stuart's prose trilogy based on
Merlin and Arthur: The Crystal
Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The
Last Enchantment. These verses
show attention to language and de-
tail that give the reader a clear pic-
ture of a magical kind of world.
"There was a hunter at the moon's
dark / Who sought to lay a net of
gold in the marshes, / A net of gold /*
a net heavy as gold. / And the tide
came in and drowned the net, / Held
it invisible, deep, and the hunter
waited, / Crouching by the water in
the moon's dark."
Frost on the Window is defi-
nitely not the painful experience
one might fear. Instead, it has plenty
to offer in the way of readable, qual-
ity verse.
- Amelia Natoli'*
Study In
Lo~dndon,
England
t
Emphasis in Uberal Arts, International Business,
and Criminal Justice
Mainstream classes with British students,
plus specially designed courses just for American Students
All courses approved by University of Wisconsin-Platteville
and validated on an official UW-P transcript
$4,475 per semester for Wisconsin and Minnesota residents
$4,775 per semester for non-residents
costs include
Tuition and fees
Home-stay accommodations with meals
Fleldtripa
All financial aid applies
For further Information contact
Study Abroad Programs
308 Warner Hall
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
1 University Plaza
Platteville, Wisconsin 53818-3099
(808)342-1726
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THE MICHIGAN DAILY 764-0552
PSYCHOLOGY MAJORS
PSI CHI
The National Honor Society in Psychology
is now accepting applications
Requirements include:
-12 graded credits in Psychology beyond intro level
- Major or Minor in Psychology
- 3.3 Overall GPA
- 3.5 GPA in Psychology (including stats)
DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1992
Pick up Applications in K-106 West Quad
Interested in international career opportunities?
Plan to attend...
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
WITH YOUR B.A. IN ENGLISH?
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12
7:30 P.M.
MICHIGAN UNION PENDLETON ROOM
International Careers
for U.S. Citizens
Monday, February 10 4:10-5:30 pm
Michigan Union-Anderson Rooms
(01
PANELISTS:
Peter Boyles
Pamela Mahoney-Gross
Marlowe Robinson
Steve Sarrica
Former Bank Employee and Law Student
Communication Specialist, Chrysler Corporation
Former New York City Teacher, Teach for America
Coordinator Public Marketing
Computer Support Services at University of Michigan
Gain insight into the world of international careers.
Professionals share their advice and international
exoeriences on a range of tonics including:
I