The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - March 18, 1993- Page 3 Women's Glee Club keeps on moving by Michelle L. Weger It's 5:35 on a Thursday afternoon and Dean Earl Coleman needs a burger in 10 minutes. He has a 6:00 rehearsal for a concert that's just over a week away, and he will not be late. When the waitperson at the Red Hawk assures him he'll have his burgeron time, Coleman's grin is as bright as the maize turtleneck peeking out from the top of his Women's Glee Club sweatshirt. The Assistant Dean of Minority Affairs fortheSchool of Music wears that shirt with pride- this is his fourth year as the group's conductor. We discuss the irony of his situation-being the only male (other than accompanist Brian Altevogt) in an organization largely run by the 60 women who comprise it. Coleman is quick to challenge assump- tions'aboutaman'sability tobe sensitive to women's issues. In fact, he says that when he took over the group in the fall of 1989, he had to do some "re- educating." He recalls, "When I first got here, it was girl this and girl that. And I said, 'Huh-uh!"' Coleman credits his first college teaching job with shaping his attitudes. "It was seeing women in a women's college where they were the leaders," he says of Stevens College, a small liberal arts school in his native Missouri, where he built a 400-member choral program from 14 singers. In fact, Coleman strongly feels that the Glee Club's opportunity for women to develop leadership skills is as important, if not more so, than the experience they gain as musicians. Even that is secondary to his hope that their participation in the group be relevant to their experiences as students and as people. To that end, for the first time, the program notes for the Spring Concert will be written by the singers themselves. Something else that concerns Coleman is the group's morale. "When I first came in, they sort of felt like the stepchildren," he says, referring to the inevitable but inequitable comparisons made be- tween his choir and the venerable century-old insti- tution known as the Men's Glee Club. A New York tour in the spring of 1991, concerts for alumni associations and appearances by subgroups like Mo's Boosters and the Harmonettes at tailgate par- ties and sporting events have all served to promote the group's image. He also feels that the community benefits from the Club's presence. "It's a different sound," he remarks, talking specifically about the traditional Michigan songs which appear on every program. "You don't get the raucous, beer-drinking sound, like you do with amen's chorus."Women's Glee, he says, also exposes people to different types of music than are often heard at concerts given by mixed- voice choirs. For instance, at the members' request, Coleman has started programming more works by women composers. The March 19 concert will fea- ture a set of three pieces with a feminist bent, based on poetry by Ann Kilkelly. The composer, Zae Munn, is a professor at St. Mary's College at Notre Dame, and will get to hear the songs in person when she comes up for the performance. Earlier on the same day of Coleman's insta- burger request, the Glee Club's assistant conductor, Linda Blanchard, sat down for a few minutes to talk about the group. Amaster's student at the School of Music, Blanchard shares Coleman's view that the Club serves several functions. "It's an opportunity for women who are fine musicians to have a musical outlet. At the same time, a very important camaraderie has developed. It's a supportive place to address women's issues and it's become a forum for discussion," she said, adding that the women made it clear to Coleman that, "They don't simply want to sing repertoire, they want to explore issues." In addition, she feels that the group is strong because of its "unbelievably positive repre- sentation of women in the University, working to produce a very heartfelt performance." Blanchard also commented that she's learned much from Coleman about constructive rehearsals and high-energy motivation techniques. "He has worked to establish a positive energy in rehearsals. You leave them feeling charged up." Coleman, for his part, feels fortunate to have a woman assisting him, to have a role model for the singers. "I am conscious of that," said Blanchard, "I think they're plugging for me to do well, and they give me a lot of respect. I think they connect with me because I'm a woman." That respect shows through later that evening when, half-way through the rehearsal, Blanchard takes the podium to conduct "Reeds of Innocence," a piece for choir and oboe, which will feature oboist Nicole Austrins. Her manner is cool-as-cucumber professional, and her style is directly opposite from Coleman's bouncy, buoyant conducting. But both have an obvious gift for communication, and every time Blanchard stops to correct, she also compli- ments. As they run the piece, Coleman's words come flooding back. "The most important thing about the group is that it gives the women a bonding experi- ence." And heartfelt doesn't even begin to describe it. THE WOMEN'S GLEE CLUB will perform Friday at Rackham Auditorium at 8p.m. Tickets are $5, $3 students at the Union Ticket Office or at the door. Call 763-TKTS. The Women's Glee Club will grace Rackham with their presence Friday. Firehouse burns with desire The Young Disciples are part of a growing wave of great music from Great Britain. Youn Discies gaer a folng W by Scott Sterling While U.S. soul music continues to 'devolve' into lifeless takes on equally bland pop music, England has revived the lost art of finely crafted soul grooves. Tune in to any "urban contemporary" radio station, and hear for yourself. One faceless, machine-driven 'new jack swing' (yawn) track after another. What you'll also notice is that when a song jumps out and catches your ear with personality, true raw vibes and (gasp!) live instrumentation, it's more than likely from across the Atlantic. The jazz-infected funk of the Brand New Heavies, Sade's sultry croon and now the Young Disciples. "The Road To Freedom," the Dis- ciples' debut album, is astunning amal- gamation of R&B, rap and jazz. Live backing tracks collide with two-turn- tables, while vocalist CarleenAnderson sweetly narrates the proceedings with her gorgeous voice. Songs like "Appar- ently Nothin' "and "As We Come To Be" pulsate with 1970s-addicted ar- rangements and classic R&B styling. But there's even more going on in this tasty mix. Tracks like "Talkin' What I Feel" feature rapper Master Ace in- stead of Anderson, while "Step Right On" is a rare groove monster that uti- lizes The Outlaw Posse. "We're constantly changing," says Femi Williams, one half of the Young Disciples. "We can come back in any shape, form or size. That's the whole idea of the Young Disciples." Initially recording with only turn- tables and a cassette deck, it was Paul Weller(theJam, Style Council)that first recognized the Disciples' potential. "I did my apprenticeship with the Style Council," recalls the other half of the Disciples, Marc Nelson. "Basically, it was Paul (Weller) that said 'you've got a good sound.' He gave us a weeks worth of time in his 24-track studio to see what we could do. In that week, we did the backing tracks for "Get Yourself Together" and "Apparently Nothin'." With the release of "The Road To Freedom," the Young Disciples took Britain by storm, scoring two top 10 singles and a slew of British music awards. Andalthough they're lumpedin with the whole 'Acid Jazz' movement in Europe, the Disciples are quick to dis- miss such comparisons. "Young Disciples is a movement within itself," emphasizes Williams. "I wouldn't even go as far as to say that," Nelson continues. "I'd say that the movement started long before you heardaboutacid jazz. There'sabig funk scene in England that I'd say we're more a part of." "The Road To Freedom" also has something to say. The songs all radiate a definite positivity, which Williams says is unavoidable. "It's too easy to be negative, it's too easy to forget. The quicker you try to forget, the more intensified the problem becomes." But he bristles when I ask about the pro-Black vibe that runs throughout the disc. "You think these things don't hap- pen to White people? Maybe that's something we've taught ourselves. Pain knows no color." Maybe, but what about songs like "Freedom" and "Talkin' What I Feel," both of which have definite African references? "Well, there are pro-Black things in there, but it's not discounting Whites," concedes Williams. Regardless of the message, the Young Disciples have produced yet another UK gem that pulls one more nail from the coffin of soul music. That's enough for me. by Kristen Knudsen With recreational but uninfluential songs like "Don' tTreatMeBad," "When I Look Into Your Eyes" and "Sleeping With You," it comes as no surprise to hear Firehouse guitarist Bill Leverty declare, "We've never been the neurosurgery songwriters." Leverty, singer C.J. Snare, bassist Perry Richardson anddrummerMichael Foster prefer to keep the music and lyrics of Firehouse simple. They're not out to change the world. While some bands concentrate on showing off tech- nicalability, Leverty said thatFirehouse would rather write uncomplicated melo- dies, which he hopes result in a more natural sound. "We've always been like, let's write songs that are simple but very effective and don't need a whole lot of changes and elaborate chord sequences to get the attention of the listener. A lot of times less is more," Leverty said. Now that's debatable, but Firehouse did walk away with last year's Ameri- can Music Award for Best New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Band. I don't know if that really means anything, but the "less is more" philosophy does seem to have at least some merit. Recognize, though, that this philosophy does not carry over to the lyrics, which more often than not concern only one thing. (Oh come on, take a guess ...) In point of fact, eight of the 12 songs from their self-titled debut deal with issues of the heart (among other organs), as do seven of the 12 songs on the more recent "Hold Your Fire" album. "We do have a big inspiration in our lives, that being love and girlfriend kind of things, and we think about that a lot, so it definitely comes out in ourmusic," Leverty described, "We're not these kind ofj erkboyfriend slap-around-your- girl kind of guys. We're more in touch with making our girls feel good. And that's just the way we are. We're good guys." Good guys - obsessed with sex. Not unheard of. That's not all they think aboutthough.Once inawhile, Firehouse focuses on different subjects, like not giving up ("Hold The Dream") and doing your best ("Reach For The Sky"). Yeah, once in a while. "We have a song (on "Hold Your Fire") called 'Life In The Real World,' which is about the nine-to-five drone kind of situation. We have 'Hold The Dream' and a couple other songs on there that deal with not necessarily is- sues, but just about other things that we think about in our lives," Leverty said, "A lot of it is about partying and being with your friends and then also about being with your girlfriend, and a lot of it is aboutjust real life. But we always try to sing about the positive side of life FIREHOUSE will appear at the Ritz in Roseville at 8p.m. tonight and tomorrow night. Tickets are $10. Write for Airts For info about music, books, fine arts and theater staffs, call 763-0379 instead of the big bummers that can happen everyday. If you want to turn on the news, you can get enough bad news there. We always want to be like the good news." Or, in many cases, no news at all. I mean, it really is not all that astounding to discover lyrics like, "Ooh I need your lovin' and I need your sex, I wish that you can send it to me Fed Express" (from the song "Get In Touch" -just one example of many). Inane, yes. Offensive, maybe. News- worthy, no. But then again, no news is good news. Isn't it? ;., :, a f FAST, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE. IT'S WELL WORTH THE TRIP TO US. WE HAVE THIE " Experience " HUGE parts inventory " Connections a xm , London $459* Munich $539* Athens $659* Paris $539* Fares arena dtrip from Detroit. Very flexileTaxes not included and some restrictions apply. Many other destinationsavailable. 1220 S. University Avenue STE 208 An Arbor, MI 48104 313-998-20oo h. ds ,M s lr "L Careers in Psychology ! don 't Want to Grow Un to be a Psycholosdst: START A GOODjBOOK THIS SUMMER.