ARTS Ultra Vivid Raiske, the man behind the Scene by Nima Hodaei Kurt Ralske, the man behind Ultra Vivid Scene, has gone through three distinct changes in his recording career. From the minimalistic beats of 1988's "Ultra Vivid Scene," to the pop sensibility of 1990's "Joy 1967-1990," and now to the guitar-based psychedelic rock of "Rev," Ralske has thrived on constantly changing the boundaries in which he works. This time aroundRalskehasalso changed thedimensions to include an actual band (featuring Jack Daley and Julius Klepacz), which is new for him, consid- ering he played almost all the instruments on the first two albums. "I wrote the songs myself, but I got abass player and a drummer," said Ralske "bout the album. "We spent like two months rehearsing the songs before we recorded. We spent a lot of time jamming just getting musical communication going." The communication of the band translated over into an intensely live feel on the album, with the addition of guest musicians adding an intensity level not found on previous UVS albums. Theonestandardin Ralske'swork,though, whichmosttypifies whathedoes, s the personal lyrics and subjectmatter. His focus on sex andreligion, along with some of the most depressing lyrics this side of pre-1988 Robert Smith, have set Ralske apart from the typical music babble. This is true again on "Rev," although Ralske is good-humored about it. "I'm notone of thosepeoplewho stays home on Saturday nights and turns out all the lights and burns candles," Ralske explained in sarcasm. "I do try to write about things that are important to me and are maybe hard to talk about. I have better things to do than be serious all the time." Although the lyrics may provoke images of the Ralske of old, the new album has successfully moved him away from unfair comparisons that comprised his earlier works. His days spent hanging out with the members of My Bloody Valentine and other groups spawned from the same London "pop" culture, resultedin the categoricallumping of his sound with theirs. "Rev" clears the path for Ralske to stand on his own ground, with its Jimi Hendrix-esque guitars and '70s classic rock sound-quite different from theworkofany ofhis other "bliss- rock" counterparts. "Itrytohavecontroloverwhatgoesonmusically,butIcan'thavecontrolover what goes on in terms of what people say and the way people try to hype it," said Ralske. "I don't really like all that sort of shit either. I think the Valentines are a great group, but I think we are trying to do something different. They're into trying to reinvent the guitar ... I'm not. trying to do that." Ralske and the rest of UVS are currently on their second headlining tour of the United States. Therehearsing sessions have excited Ralske about striking out on theroad, especially foraband who hasnothadmuch previous success playing their songs live. "I'm really looking forward to touring this time just because the group I used on the record will be the same guys I'm touring with," said Ralske. "It's like a really live record and it's going to transfer live a lot easier and a lot better." Although UVS is far from achieving the same commercial success as bands like U2 (who Ralske called the comparison point of everyone else today), the band's first two albums garnered high spots on the college radio charts, and Columbia Records has been pushing them as a "band to watch for." Does Ralske care about the honors? "I'm not in competition with anyone but myself," asserted Ralske. "And the competition is the best, mostbeautifulcoolestmusic thatI can make. And tome, whentherecord'sdone,that'sit.Thecompetitionisover.Ithink there are acertain breed of clever people who are good at making music that is designed for easy consumption, and they're very successful at it. If that's what they want to do, I think that's great. But, I'm not one of those people." Amen to that... Mr. Lundie (James Cooper) describes the enchantment of Brigadoon, while Josh Rhodes, Jason Dilly and Susan Owen listen eagerly. ULJTRAKVIVIDSCENE willperform this Friday, April23rd at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Call 961-MELTfor ticket information. by Melissa Rose Bernardo Every once in a while you see a show that becomes a part of you. The idea of the show may be totally unbe- lievable, the dialogue cliche and the score predictable. But it moves you nonetheless. "Brigadoon"isoneofthose shows, and the Musical Theater pro-, gram presented it with such unalloyed .L . Brigadoon Power Center April 15, 1993 grace and honesty that this magical journey to the highlands of Scotland will not soon be forgotten. With the rise of the curtain, the Power Center stage was immediately trans- formed into a mysteriously dark forest with mammoth trees, towering benevo- lently over the village, covered in a mist. Using rich purples and earthy browns and greens, a painted screen provided a lush background of plants and rocks. Thescreenlifted torevealthe town of Brigadoon. The people of Brigadoon (the en- semble) entreated us to enter, decked out in bright plaids and smiles to match. When their 30-some voices joined in "Down on MacConnachy Square," they sounded like 100 people. Each clearly had his/her own character, yet fit into the ensemble perfectly. They blended flawlessly, and solos within the ensemble were lively and clear. And they were so darn happy! How could we refuse their sincere invitation into their world? The lead performances fortunately matched the energy of the ensemble. Susan Owen's Fiona was the epitome of grace and youthful innocence. In "Waitin' for My Dearie," in which she tells the girls of her dreams, sunshine producion beamed from her face and her mouth. it - esp This song (and others) took Owen all those pla over the scale, challenging her upper that Jeffl and lower registers often within the It'sha same line. Owen continually met that village a challenge without any apparent strain. Itproved She was completely natural, and there- Dance w fore enormously endearing to the audi- Scottish ence, and to Josh Rhodes' Tommy. over and RhodeswasarelaxedTommy,which swords; (along with his lack of plaid and his marriage American accent) set him apart from Eddie Si the villagers. Immediately there was Jeffrey S chemistry between Rhodes'Tommy and crosses, Owen's Fiona. In the lovely "Heather on the Hill," Rhodes was casually flirta- The p tious, with clear lyricism and nice dy- Briga namics.Owen'sFionamatchedRhodes' enser playful attitude. When they finally rec- to eni ognizedtheirattraction,theirduetsonly . grew more powerful and moving - in brigh "Almost Like Being in Love," they to ma literally infected the audience with their 30-So happiness. in "D Adding to the atmosphere of MacC Brigadoon was Tracy Plester as Meg, they the "hyper-thyroid." Plester was comi- cally eager as she tried to seduce the eop lackadaisical Jeff. Her "The Love of My Life" was both comic and vocally building well-done, allowing Plester to make use withoutl of her ample chest register. Jason Dilly Whil provided his own cynical form of comic was well relief as the always-slightly-drunk Jeff. most im Everyone in the village is so bright- Tamlyn eyedandbushy-tailedandhecan'tstand dance. A of 'Brigadoon' pecially when he has to wear idpants. But Dilly also proved had depth. ard to pin down whatmade this nd its inhabitants so appealing. tobe theirdancing.'IheSword asbreathtakingly intense. As is wedding tradition, men dance around the crossblades of two if they touch the swords, the will be plagued by bad luck. ugarman, Danny Gurwin and hubartagilely danced over three beginning slowly and then eople of doon (the rble) entreated us ter, decked out in t plaids and smiles itch. When their me voices joined own on onnachy Square," sounded like 100 le. in speed and intensity - all looking at their feet. e the traditional classical ballet l-done and lovely to watch, the pressive dance sequence was Shusterman's moving funeral Accompanied by bagpipes and drumbeats, Shusterman as Maggie paid tribute to thedead Harry Beaton in an interpretive dance. She bent down to Harry, as if addressing him, and re- moved his plaid cloak, which was pre sumably covered in blood. She bran- dished the cloak in the faces of onlook- ers, as if to say "Look! You all killed him!" As a statement, she wrapped the cloak around herself, and solemnly danced. Each drumbeat was like ablow to Shusterman's Maggie, as she seemed to reenact the chase which ended with Harry's death. Eventually, her grief drove her to the ground with an aching cry. Crowned with white hair and hold- ing a staff, James Cooper played Mr. Lundie, the resident wise man of Brigadoon, who doles out tokens of wisdomlike, "Ifye lovesomeone deeply, anything is possible." Cooper infused those lines with such feeling that Ifor- got how often I had heard them. Okay, I may be a sucker for senti- ment. Butwhen the carefully measured melodrama combined with incompa- rable vocal talent, flawless dancing, and consistent Scottish brogue, I fell in love with the magic of "Brigadoon." This production of "Brigadoon" gave the audience a world of newly-born hopes and acelebration of the renewing power of love. I personally would like to go along living in this world for as long as I can. Ultra Vivid Scene doesn't worry about competing with anyone.