10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 31, 1995
Blues Traveler's tour keeps sailing
By Mark Carlson
Daily Arts Writer
Blues Traveler likes to look at
their grueling touring schedule as a
great adventure. While their earlier
albums depicted stories of fantasy
travelers and their adventures (hence
their second album, "Travelers and
Thieves"), they now are more likely
to compare their lives to life on a
pirate ship. "I've read a lot of these
Patrick O'Brien books, which are all
about these 1800s sea battles," said
the band's drummer, Brendan Hill.
"It's like that- we're in this big tour
bus all together, the band and the
crew, and we've got these 'canons'
that we bring out and set up and have
these 'battles.'"
Though that may be quite a dra-
matic view of life on the road, Blues
Traveler must enjoy something about
touring, because they stay on the road
almost constantly. Last year, they were
on the road for 10 months out of the
year, using the spare two to record
their latest release, "Four." "Every-
thing we do, we do as a family, and I
think having a really close family
group is the most important thing of
being on the road," explained Hill. "If
we didn't enjoy the people around us,
I think we'd find it a lot more gruel-
ing. We can all chill out and there's no
animosity towards anyone, we have a
lot of fun, and we can let off a lot of
steam with each other."
This year, the band is finding their
schedule just as tight. Coming off a
short tour of the British isles, they are
New Jersey, the band was formed by
when Hill met singer / harmonica
player John Popper in their high school
jazz band. Once the band was joined
by guitarist Chan Kinchla and bassist
Bobby Sheehan, the band started play-
ing out at frat parties and small clubs
on the many campuses in the sur-
rounding area. "We really do love the
college crowds. They're kind of stuck
in one place all year and they need to
get some energy out," said Hill.
"That's been the staple of our fan base
for quite some time."
After high school, the band moved
to New York and started building a
reputation as one of the best live acts
in town. Known for their heavy use of
improvisation, the band started hook-
ing up with other so-called "jam
bands" like Phish, the Spin Doctors
and Widespread Panic. They toured
together for years and formed friend-
ships that still exist today.
Together with a few other groups,
these bands formed the annual
H.O.R.D.E. tour in 1991. The pur-
pose of the summer tour is just for
all these bands to get together and
have fun. Blues Traveler is actually
the only group that has been on all
three tours since its creation. "We
already on the road in the states, be-
ginning their usual spring tour of col-
lege campuses. Though here in Ann
Arbor they will be playing the acous-
tically perfect Hill Auditorium, the
band is used to less than perfect ven-
ues so far on the tour. "We've done
three dates so far, and they've all been
gyms, which is kind of a challenge for
us," said Hill. "The acoustics in those
rooms are pretty bad."
Though the venues may not be
perfect in most college towns, the
band feels quite at home when play-
ing in them. All natives of Princeton,
Those avenging pirate of rock, Blues Traveler invade Ann Arbor this weekend ... or, Brendan Hill will play the Hill.
haven't really decided on a line up
for this year yet," explained Hill.
"We do know that we'll be getting
started sometime around July." Hill
also hinted at the possibility of the
Black Crowes joining the bill for
this year's tour.
In the meantime, Blues Traveler
will be staying on the road to col-
leges and small clubs all over
America for the rest of spring, look-
ing for adventure. With thousands
of people in town this weekend for
the Hash Bash, who knows, maybe
they'll find some here.
a
April fool's day is the right 'Showtime' for comedy
By Eugene Bowen to make 'Showtime at Michigan' a tra-
Daily Arts Writer dition here as well. Secondly, like
Ready to get out those last chuck-
les, laughs and guffaws before final
exams turn your smiles into frowns
and your tears of joy into tears of "I
want my mommy'"? Black Folks Pro-
ductions president/stand-up comic/
University senior Horace Sanders
thinks he has just the beginning-of-
the-end-of-the-school-year event for
you.
Tomorrow - April Fool's Day -
the first annual "Showtime at Michi-
gan" will take place in the East Quad
Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
" Showtime at Michigan' is pat-
terned after 'Showtime at the Apollo,"'
said Sanders who will serve as host for
the night. "We did this for two reasons.
First: 'Showtime at the Apollo' is a
historically Black tradition, and wehope
'Showtime at the Apollo,' 'Showtime
at Michigan' will give the audience a
chance to participate."
Pryor. He has also competed on the
BET Comic Review (he lost), and he
has appeared on the HBO Def Com-
edy Jam.
Also performing during the night's
festivities will be the up-and-coming
hip-hop group Da' Stable. The names
of the members,all University alums,
are Kofi Boone, Clyde Jackson,
Harold Edwards III and Eric Sumner.
Produced by Mr. X, Da' Stable has
already independently released a self-
titled LP, and the group is currently
working on a second release.
"All the performers will put on a
great show," Sanders said. "I'm espe-
cially looking forward to the amateur
night."
Yes, just like "Showtime at the
Apollo," this show will feature 10
University students singing and rap-
ping, performing instrumental solos
and stand-up comedy, among other
things. Also in the tradition of
"Showtime at the Apollo," the audi-'
ence will choose its winner, clapping'
and shouting on behalf of the better
performers and booing the worse ones
off the stage. And, yes, "Showtime at
Michigan" will have its very own
"Sandman," the ever-popular Mr.
William "Nook" Dubose.
The Carribean People's Associa-
tion and the historically Black Omega
Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated helped
cosponsor this, the fifth comedy show
organized by Black Folks Production
this school year.
"This show is a celebration of
Black History Month because we feel
that every day of every month should'-
be dedicated to the celebration of
Black contributions to every facet of
American life," Sanders said.
University of Michigan
School of Music
Thursday-Sunday, March 30-April 2, April 6-9
Sirens, by Darrah Cloud
Theatre and Drama Production; Lynn M. Thomson, guest director
Trueblood Theatre, Frieze Building
8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun.
Tickets: $12, students $6 (764-0450)
Friday, March 31
Faculty Recital: Charles Daval, trumpet; James Kibbie, organ
Assisted by Brian Rood, trumpet
" Tomaso Albinoni: Concerto in C Major, op. 7, no. 5
" Vaclav Nelhybel: Metamorphoses
" J. S. Bach: "My Spirit Be Joyful"
a Works by Cellier, Langlais, Dubois, Widor
Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m., free
Opera Workshop
Joshua Major directs Hoiby's one-act opera The Italian Lesson
McIntosh Theatre, 5p.m., free
Note: The 7 p.m. Opera Workshop performance has been canceled.
Saturday, April 1
Gamelan Ensemble: Music of Indonesia
Gernot Blume, director; Pak Minarno, guest musician; Nunuk
Sri Rahayu, guest dancer
Music of Bali: Barong, Begawan Ciptoning
n Music of Java: Golek Clunthang, Gending Simbar, Legong
Rackham Auditorium, 8 p.m., free
Women's Glee Club
Theodore Morrison, conductor
Music of Felix Mendelssohn, Thomas Beveridge, John Gardner
Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $7, students and seniors $4
Opera Workshop
Joshua Major, director
Opera excerpts by Mozart, Still, Vaughan-Williams and others
McIntosh Theatre, School of Music, 8 p.mT., free
Sunday, April 2
Percussion Ensemble
Michael W. Udow, director
" William Albright (U-M): Take That
* World premieres by U-M's Gernot Blume and John Polit
" Music of Julie Spencer, William Kraft, John Wyre
" Edgard Varese: Ionization
McIntosh Theatre, School of Music, 4 p.m., free
Monday, April 3
Composers Forum Concert
New music by Michigan composers
Recital Hall, School of Music, 8 p.m., free
Tuesday, April 4
Chamber Choir and University Choir
Jerry Blackstone, Theodore Morrison, conductors
* Martin: Mass
" Lauridsen: Les Chansons des Roses
Nine-year comedy veteran Skeeter
Murrie will be the night's feature per-
former. This Detroit (West Side) na-
tive has opened for an impressive list
of musical artists and comedians in-
cluding Patti Labelle and Richard
Glee Club keeps growing
A PROVOCATIVE NEW PLAY
ABOUT SPOUSE ABUSE
by Darrah Cloud
Directed by
Lynn M. Thomson
March 30-April 1,
April 6-8 at 8pm
April 2 and 9 at 2pm
Trueblood Theatre
Tickets are $12
Charge by phone:
313.764.0450
Student seating $6
Two tickets per ID
UM School of Music at League Ticket Office
Department of Theatre and Drama
LS&A STUDENT?
NOT GUARANTEED A JOB?
Then AIR FORCE ROTC is for you!
By Melissa Rose Bernardo
Daily Theater Editor
There's something stirring in the
Women's Glee Club (WGC). You can
see it in their eyes after a rehearsal. You
can hear it in director Theodore
Morrison's voice as he speaks of his
involvement with the group. It's new
WOMEN'S
GLEE CLUB
Where: Hill Auditorium
When: Tomorrow at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $4 for students and
seniors, $7 for everyone else.
Call 76-TKTS.
life, and it's everywhere as they prepare
for their Spring Concert this Saturday at
Hill Auditorium.
Morrison, co-director of choirs at
the School of Music, isjust finishing his
first full year as Artistic Director of the
Club. What Morrison saw when he
came in was a great group - talented,
energetic and dynamic. But why not, he
thought, try to make it better?
"I think that previously there
weren't enough risks taken by the
group as a whole," he said. "Nobody
took the big giant leap of faith to say
'We can do anything we want,' and
this year we decided to do it."
"Doing it" meant increasing the
sophistication and difficulty of the
vocal repertoire. On Saturday night,
the choir will be singing a varied yet
uniformly difficult program. Selec-
tions include Thomas Beveridge's
"Canticle of the Sun," Shakespeare
songs by John Gardener, Benjamin4W
Britten's "Fancy" and three pieces by,,
James Mulholland for female voices,>
french horn and piano, based on the i
poems of Emily Dickinson.
The other big step for WGC was.
from Rackham Auditorium to Hill Au-
ditorium. Traditionally, Rackham's-
small stage and muffled acoustics have
been limiting for the choir. The move,
Morrison explained, was a smart one
for visibility and musicality.
"(Rackham) is a very nice place to
hear chamber music but not a very nice r
place to sing," said Morrison. "The
acoustics are just dead.... Moving into
Hill - where the acoustics are terrific
- has made a big difference for us.".
The fall concert at Hill drew a crowd of
over 1200, twice the size of the group's
usual Rackham audience.
Morrison has witnessed growth-"
over numerous aspects of the WGC,
in musicality, group dynamics and
visibility.
"I think if you give-them reper-
toire that's going to push them to the
edge - and not over the cliff - but;
just up to the edge so they have to
work real hard," Morrison said, "the.
result is more wonderful morale and
more public interest." 4
"Artistically we've grown because
we've worked very hard on vocal pro-
duction and doing a very sophisticated
repertoire. And that challenges (the a
women) and moves them toward amore
exciting attitude towards what they're
doing, and that's great for morale. And
visibility has come from a very spec-
tacular concert in the fall," he explained.
"The music is beautiful, the people
are interested and interesting and they
work very hard to sell tickets," he
said. "It's the excitement and the ca-
maraderie that has developed doing
wonderful repertoire, and that has
changed the whole character of the
glee club and turned it into a really
wonderful concert organization."
From choir to concert organiza-
tion - the Women's Glee Club is on
its way up. Make way for something
really big.
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