'I Stone Roses' By TOM ERLEWINE Six years is an eternity in pop music. In that time, bands live and die, trends &me and go, records are made and roken. More importantly, several gen- erations of teenagers come of age dur- ing that time; not only do they come of age, they grow up and stop buying records. Simultaneously, the new gen- eration of record-buyers has no idea about the previous generations heroes; they are content to listen to Green Day and Offspring, without giving so much The Stone Roses Second Coming Geffen as a thought to Guns 'N' Roses, U2, Madonna or Prince. Or the Stone Roses, for that matter. It's been along, long time since the Stone Roses were popular. At the be- ginning of the decade, the band spear- headed a pop music revolution. Mixing the hook-laden guitar sensibilities of '60s pop with a dance club-conscious beat, the Stone Roses began a craze in England, where thousands of teens wearing baggy pants poured into hazy, druggy clubs to dance the nights away. ountless bands followed the Stone ses (including the Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and the Charlatans), but none of them captured the Madchester movement quite as fully as the Roses themselves. The difference was simple - they had catchy, fully- formed pop songs courtesy of guitarist John Squire and they were also a real rock 'n' roll band. Despite their some- hat precious sound and Ian Brown's ryvocals, they acted like street punks - they were even arrested for vandal- izing the office of their former record company. For all of 1989 and 1990, the band was absolutely huge in England, but trouble began in early 1991, when legal resurrection troubles with their record company sent them into seclusion. After a couple of years, they signed a reported multi- million dollar contract with Geffen and were scheduled to deliver a record by the beginning of 1993 ... and nothing happened. For another two years, the band stayed in hiding, working on the album, almost breaking up, scrapping a couple of albums and restarting the whole thing all over again. By late 1994, most fans had almost given up hope of seeing a new record in theirlifetime. And that's when the Stone Roses began their comeback. They de- livered a single, "Love Spreads," in November and their long-awaited sec- ond album, appropriately titled "Sec- ond Coming," was released in Decem- ber in England. True to form, the band didn't manage their comeback well - the single peaked at #2 and the album fell off the top of the charts after one week. Nevertheless, in terms of sheer numbers, the record was performing better than their debut, and Roses-ma- nia had returned in England. Now comes the hard part - the Stone Roses have to make it in America, something they have never been able to pull off before. "Second Coming" arrives in stores this week and it's difficult to gauge its reception in the US. It's a given that their long- time fans will buy the record, but the album needs to attract new fans in order to justify both Geffen's money and the long wait. In short, the Stone Roses need to appeal to teenagers who have no idea who they are. Does "Second Coming" appeal to hip teenagers and old fans, as well? It does ... to a certain degree. With Squire's intoxicating riffs and Brown's passive vocals, the Stone Roses still sound like no other band. Most of the distinctive features of their debut are in place - the '60s guitar hooks, the allusions to past pop masterpieces, the pulsing beats - but they have added scores of loud, bluesy guitars, harder dance beats and a See STONE, Page 8 By HEATHER PHARES "Throwing Muses? Oh, yeah, they were a really good band. Didn't they break up a while ago?" says the typical alternative music fan. The answer to this question is a resounding "No!" as the Muses return to the music world after a far-too-long break. That most of the music-buying University Sire/Reprise population (and even the group's fans) think Throwing Muses are defunct is understandable, however. It's been almost three years since the band's last album, the critically acclaimed "Red Heaven;" and key member gui- tarist Tanya Donnelly left to join the Breeders, and ultimately form Belly in 1991. Throwing Muses' leader, Kristin Hersh, spent the time between albums recording and releasing the excellent acoustic album "Hips and Makers" and the EP "Strings." All of which logically leads one to believe that the band had indeed split up. But logic has hardly been a part of the Muses' long and illustrious career. Formed in the early '80s by the teen- age Hersh and Donelly, Throwing Muses were the first American band signed to the prestigious independent British label 4 AD. At just 19, Hersh and her fellow Muses released an amazing collection of songs on their first album, "Throw- ing Muses." Songs like "Hate My Way," "Rabbits Dying" and "Deli- cate Cutters" mixed psychedelia, punk, pop and folk in a fresh, disconcerting and fascinating manner. Needless to Throwing Muses throw fans a curve say, this album is now unavailable do- mestically. The band's other early efforts. 1988's "House Tornado" and 1989's "Hunkpapa"continued along these dis- jointed lines, owing as much to musical ability as to Hersh's well-publicized struggles against mental illness. Her condition, a kind of bipolarity, caused her to hear voices and hallucinate - and informed Hersh's music with both a trancelike beauty and a frantic de- spair. After seeking treatment for herprob- lems, Throwing Muses' music changed accordingly. 1991's "The Real Ramona" and 1992's "Red Heaven" still encompassed many different emo- tions and musical styles, but replaced the almost too-intimate confessionals of earlier songs with a more removed, less anguished type of writing. Then, just when it seemed that things were stabilizing in the band, Throwing Muses simply stopped recording. Now, three years later, Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses are back with a remarkable new album, "University," and the band, now a trio, has never sounded better. From the beginning of the album, the gleefully wrathful "Bright Yellow Gun," it's evident that the band has found a way to blend the jarring quality of the early years with Hersh's increas- ingly catchy pop sensibilities. "I have nothing to offer but confusion / And I think Ineed a little poison," Hersh wails overbright, stabbing guitars and ashim- mying drumbeat. It's a great start that's followed up by "Start," which spotlights Hersh's mercurial voice; she can change from a whisper to a howl to a breathy sigh with disconcerting ease. "Hazing" is the fi- nal song in a trio of fiery, kinetic rock- ers, and it's a thouroughly unnerving bop about relationships: "Strange time to be needing me, cheating me, freezing Kristin Hersh is a genius. David Narzcio isn't half bad either . me out ... I'll spend another day danc- ing with you." Hersh's lyrics, cryptic though they may be, nevertheless un- cannily express emotions that are diffi- cult to describe at all, much less in the confines of a three-minute pop song. But "University" offers much more than just rock. Hersh's softer side, shown on "Hips and Makers," beguiles just as much as her angrier songs disarm, "Shimmer" is aptly titled; the melody shines and glows like an underwater treasure. "That's All You Wanted" is a serene, angelic lullaby, and the title track features her sons Dylan and Ryder on vocals; how's that for diversity? The rest of the 14 tracks on "Uni- versity" are also great; nary a filler song exists here. In fact, the all-around high quality of the record would be tedious if it weren't so listenable. "University" is both the Muses' most accessible and varied album. Hersh's palette of emotions grows exponen- tially as she matures; this is definitely one of the best albums of the year. Let's hope this band never disbands. 'Voices from the street' sing the praises of Dr. Martin Luther By JENNIFER BUCKLEY "Homelessness is not uplifting," Broderick Johnson, Washington, D.C. attorney and Law School Voices From the Street January 16,1995 Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre alumn, told the audience assembled at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre on Monday afternoon as he introduced the acting troupe Voices from the Streets. It certainly isn't. But the perfor- ance of the eight actors and ac- tresses who comprise the Washing- ton, D.C.-area traveling trope was more than uplifting. It was inspir- ing, challenging, accusatory, emo- tional, passionate. Above all, it was real. Real, because the members of Voices essentially acted out their own stories Monday as part of the elebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The series of sketches and mono- logues about homelessness, depen- dence and poverty fleshed out onstage were doubly poignant because these actors had already performed them many times -in their kitchens, their living rooms and their apartments. Before they lost them. "All of our actors and actresses F committed students needed I are homeless or formerly homeless," said Kate Hannon, executive director for Voices from the Streets. "They tell the stories of homelessness - their stories - to educate others about the issues they face in everyday life." And they weren't easy to listen to. Gloria Palmer-Hall delivered a wrenching monologue about finding herself and her seven young children evicted from their cramped apartment in the dead of a Washington, D.C. winter. "We were faceless, voiceless refu- gees," Palmer-Hall remembered. She also participated with Dwight Fowler in a sketch that took place at the Department of Health and Human Services. The two revealed the diffi- culty of wandering through miles of red beaurocratic tape just to secure food for a homeless family. This story of "a social worker who doesn't care," as Fowler described it, preceded the story of one who does. Ella McCall-Haygan described her own fight to climb out of the cycle of abuse and poverty she experienced as a young mother and into the class- rooms of American and Catholic universities where she earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in social work. McCall-Haygan now runs the Capitol City Inn family shelter as a licensed social worker. Over 700 children call those cramped rooms home. "How do I convert a hotel into a sanctuary?" she questioned. "You see, I walked in the shoes of the people I serve ... They come from homeless shelters like refugee camps and housing projects like battle- fields." She battles this bleak situations with hugs and words of comfort for each of the children. "Each day, 700 times, I say, 'I love you, baby,' be- cause society sure doesn't." She continued, "I know what you're thinking. 'She flunked Pro- fessional Detachment.' But these children are in danger." Two of these endangered chil- dren performed with Voices. Shareefa Rasheed, 15, gave a mov- ing State of the Union address from the point of view of those most ex- cluded in the President's habitually optimistic one. "They really are spokespeople," Hannon said of the troupe. "They have so much poise and self-esteem." As Rasheed showed in her impas- sioned address, "They are the voices -the articulate voices -- of the home- less." Twelve-year-oldPeppertina Wil- liams performed the role of an HIV- positive child and a little girl con- fused and terrified by the murders taking place in her own front yard. "I'm going to die too, aren't I, Mama," she remarked with gravity and acceptance. Rasheed and Williams represented those most devastated by poverty and homelessness, the children who lose their dreams before their first tooth. "The lesser children of no one's god," Fowler described them. Hannon feels that their work with the nonprofit organization, which consists of about 100 individuals, pro- vides not only a creative outlet but a necessary source of self-esteem for the kids. "They all have talent and things they can do," Hannon commented. "All of our children have stayed on the honor roll in their schools" since joining Voices from the Streets. Among the adults, "Nobody is in KingJr. a shelter," she said. "Most have at least a part-time job. We work with a small group, and we've made a difference in that group Even if it is a small one, it's still a difference." A difference, indeed. Each of the actors displayed remarkable con- fidence and pride in their perfor- mances Monday. "They think of themselves as ac- tivists, not actors. But they really are spokespeople," said Hannon. Not just spokespeople. These men, women and children accom- plished something extraordinary. In giving voices to society's voiceless, they challenged each au- dience member to listen carefully for society's deaf. I. 4 *~ * * * * 2*; ' -1 +- .- + 1 * *' io * * * AA LAAAM L"AM NO -AL f I 'AMU IAARWmrWW - EM-- 111MRSE71 on" at, H IF L 4imT * S MAKE A DIFFERENCE! enroll in soc 389, sections: New Year Celebrati~on. WHAT The Second Annual Winter Student Organization Fair WHEN2 Wednesday, January 18, 1995 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM WHERE Michigan Union Ballroom and Pendleton room Come in from the cold and see all that is offered to you. A *Jrel c,..,-ia.1 4 nn+ dr, -J.--,-nf t nQ ilhra X ,iI~hIAi * *' P ject Comm ty T.. £'- 005 - Visit with frail seniors in various set- tings 006 - Be with January 20th i I 'am I 4 i