Uftj Etojm ~ttg Touching and sensual rite of passage An erotic French coming-of-age movie called "Wild Reeds" will be playing at the Michigan Theater this afternoon. The film deals with politics, love, friendship and sex. The show is today at 3:15 p.m. JI Tuesday I-1~L:%L K 41 Jaez enchants fans, keeps folk spirit alive A 'Monster' of a concert By Dave Snyder Daily Arts Writer Last Saturday night, the Michigan Theater became a number of things, all them magical. It served as an elegant owcase for two immensely talented folk singers, a gathering place for sev- eral generations of music lovers, and most of all, a community of love and friendship. The largely older crowd was obvi- ously there to see folk legend Joan Baez, but gave a warm, if tentative, greeting to opening act Dar Williams, who proceeded to win over any doubt- REVIEW Joan Baez with Dar Williams Michigan Theater Feb. 24, 1996 ers with a generous, energetic set of songs culled primarily from her new Obum, "Mortal City." Equally influenced by older artists such as Baez and Joni Mitchell, and neo-folkies like Ani DiFranco, Will- iams proved why she's generating such a buzz in the industry. With a charis- matic, unassuming stage presence and a witty, conversational style, the Westchester, N.Y.,native had the sold- out audience laughing at her anecdotes d-listening intently to her intimate, Bad Religion The Gray Race Atlantic Records A lot has happened in the past 16 years. The '80s, as cheese-ridden as ey were, have come and gone. Wars have passed and leaders and countries have changed. Punk died, and then rose from the dead. Throughout all of this time, Bad Religion, the godfathers (or, rather, grandfathers) of punk, have con- tinued to grow and flourish as a band. Forget about every other "punk" band whom you think is good - Bad Reli- gion is the best, hands down. After releasing two albums in the &rly '80s, "How Could Hell Be Any Worse?" and "Into the Unknown," the band went on hiatus for a few years, and came back stronger than ever in 1988 with "Suffer." "Suffer," and the follow- ing three albums on Epitaph Records, showcased BR's superior talent for in- tense, 90-second spurts of raw energy, driving rhythm and lyrics raging against government, religion and any other so- cial norm you can think of. In 1993, Bad Religion signed with tlantic Records, and released "Recipe For Hate." This album showed signs of the new directions Bad Religion was headed. The songs were a bit slower, a longer and more melodic, without losing their edge. "Recipe For Hate" marked a new high point in which Bad Religion's career, and the follow-ups 1994's "Stranger Than Fiction," became BR's highest-selling album ever, largely based the success of two ofthe singles,"21st entury Digital Boy" and "Infected." Even though their sound has slowed down a little over the years, Bad Reli- gion itself has not. Their ninth studio effort, "The Gray Race," stands as evi- highly literate music. She shone most brightly when per- forming her quieter numbers, "Febru- ary" and "This Is Pompeii," and struck a particular chord with her quirky, marijuana-themed encore, "The Point- less, Yet Poignant, Crisis Of A Co- ed." While waiting to witness folk music's past, the audience got a glimpse of its future. After an intermission that saw count- less new Dar-lings rush to the lobby to purchase CDs, Joan Baez took the stage with her three-piece band to mesmerize and unify the crowd throughout a two- hour set that spanned her illustrious career. Tracks from her new album of live duets, "Ring Them Bells," were re- ceived well; in particular, a rousing rendition of the Indigo Girls' "Wel- come Me" and Williams' "You're Ag- ing Well," with help from Dar, pleased the younger audience members. "Play Me Backwards" and "I'm With You," off Baez's most recent studio album, gave testament to her longevity as a first-rate songwriter. It wasn't until older material was dusted off, however, that the expansive Michigan became a small and intimate environment, glowing with a warmth seldom felt at such large performances. Soon after the opening notes of 1971's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," a choir swelled from the floor, handelapping began, and Joan's still- powerful voice soared with unmistak- By Anitha Chalam For the Daily The verdict is in: Two out of two out-of-state a cappella groups received standing ovations at the Saturday night Monsters of A Cappella VI concert. Zero out of three campus groups re- ceived such honor. Perhaps University students felt unusually sympathetic toward schools whose football teams we have beaten. Perhaps we were ex- cited by a change from the standard Michigan a cappella fare.Perhaps these out-of-state groups came prepared with secret hypnotic techniques to make us rise on command. Whatever the rea- son, this is certain: though all of the vocal groups performed well on Satur- day, the Hullabahoos of the University of Virginia and X-Tension Chords of the University of Illinois definitely de- served the praise they received. Amazin' Blue, one ofthe University's premier coed a cappella groups, started offthe evening. Dressed intheirprotocol formal wear, they performed four songs, all ofthem intypical Amazin' Blue style, full of swaying and jiving, as they musi- cally uttered words such as bop, wank and tang. Amazin' Blue was well re- ceived by the audience, and gave a good performance. With a strange introduction involv- ing a frog, goat and owl, the Hullabahoos of the University of Vir- ginia ran onto the stage from all direc- tions. They looked appropriately strange themselves, in jeans, sweatshirts and robe-like garments, made from the ugliest fabric patterns known to man. In spite of their ugly clothes, however, they were charming, and as an added bonus, they sang very well. The audience cheered straight from the first song to the final one, when it finally became hoarse, and decided instead to stand. The all-female Harmonettes were third to perform. They had a lot to live up to, following the Hullabahoos, but they sang well. They tried to be cute, but then performed a very sexually suggestive version of "Sesame , F r ft ik} fff s' __ t t - REVIEW Monsters of A Cappella VI Rackham Feb. 24, 1996 Joan Baez performs at the Michigan Theater. Street"'s "Rubber Duckie." This could shatter all happy childhood memories forever for anyone, and this traumatiza- tion precludes further comment on an otherwise fine performance. With arather lame introduction by the Harmonettes,the X-Tension Chordstook the stage in preppy attire. They started with the "2001" theme, conducted by a referee. In the introduction that followed, the X-Tension Chords promised plenty of "in your face" a cappella, which they delivered. This was an especially lik- able group, that found the time to enter- tain the audience with humor, as well as song, in a game called "Movie Meets Movie." They also provided the audi- ence with social commentary on the history of the pick-up line, which was both informative and amusing, even if it had nothing to do with monsters, a cappella or the number six. Their sing- ing was amazing, especially their en- core piece, "Kiss From a Rose. Last on the scene were the Friars. They wore tuxedoes, but their childlike behav- ior (which accounts for their incredible charisma) was anything but formal. Their songs corresponded to their attitudes - even the one serious song was performed a little humorously. Though they did not receive a standing ovation, the Friars de- served one. Apparently they thought so, too, since they gave not one, but two encores, the second one being my per- sonal favorite, a TV-song medley titled "Another Load of Crap." The concert lasted a little more than two hours. The time was well spent, and so was the money, since the proceeds of the show went to the Ann Arbor Shelter Association, which has served the needs of the homeless since 1982. For those who missed it, don't let it happen agairr. able passion. The loving, almost eerily close atmo- sphere remained throughout classics like "Diamonds and Rust," "Jesse" and stan- dards such as "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda," "On The Road Again," and the unexpected R & B of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" The younger generation in attendance couldn't help but be seamlessly swept into another era, and even the most uninitiated folk music fan felt like part of a family. Not long before Baez closed the night with a chillingly beautiful a cappella rendering of "Amazing Grace," com- plete with a sea of voices to help her, an audience member called out, "we love you," and Joan replied, "it's mutual!" After witnessing the concert, no one at the Michigan could doubt eitherparty's sincerity. The members of Bad Religion contemplate the Gray Race. dence. This album was co-produced by Ric Ocasek, formerly of the Cars. "The Gray Race" is the first Bad Religion album that showcases new guitarist Brian Baker's talent, and it certainly adds an element BR has been missing for a while. Baker, of the early '80s punk band Minor Threat, took over for longtime guitarist Mr. Brett, who left the band to concentrate on running Epi- taph Records full-time. Baker even co- wrote four of the songs on the album, but the true lyrical genius of BR is still lead singer Greg Graffin. "The Gray Race" is a little more urgent than BR's last few albums, which may have something to do with the fact the record was recorded live, together as a band, instead of the normal dub and re-dub procedure common in music to- day. The CD has a futuristic theme - it's an analysis of what is going on right now in the world, and where we are headed in the next 15 years. The opening title track talks of the way we are destroying ourselves in the world that we have created ("Turning true emo- tion into digital expression / One by one we all fall down / The gray race shrivels trapped inside / The world it creates it's black and white."). The first single, "Punk Rock Song," questions political figures ("Ten million dollars on a losing cam- paign / Twenty million starving and writh- ing in pain ... One in five kids below the poverty line / One population running out of time."). "The Streets of America," a slower, more melodic song than BR has everdone, takesa blunt and startling look into the desperate state of people today. "Ten In 2010" more than any other song - sums up this disc's theme of warning and despair. It was based on a radio report that the Earth's projected population in 2010 is 10 billion. We are headed for a world of poverty and disaster :"Truth is not an issue,just hungry mouths to feed ... Forget what you want, scrounge the things that you need." "The Gray Race" will be a pleasant surprise for any long time Bad Religion fan, and the more melodic feel of the disc will definitely appeal to those who used to say "all Bad Religion songs sound exactly the same." Time has not hindered this band one bit. They might be old, but they still rock. - Colin Bartos Limblifter Limblifter Mercury Records One-hit wonders are turning into a fairly common thing in the '90s. While the '80s had groups like Kajagoogoo, Flock of Seagulls, and Big Country, the '90's have groups like Tripping Daisy, Loud Lucy, and now, Limblifter. The one hit that I speak of is the current radio favorite, "Screwed It Up," which, I might add, is not really all that much of a hit. The album is truly average rock. Noth- ing great, nothing too horrible, and defi- nitely nothing to turn Limblifter's debut album into the Album of the Year for 1996. Recorded by brothers Ryan and Kurt Dahle, the album reeks of first-time traits. Though the brothers had played in bands together before, neither had ever sung lead on a recording, and they had never played live as Limblifter. All of this is clear as one listens to the album. Neither Ryan nor Kurt has a powerful enough voice to carry the lead r~irk r, Classic r*** Excellcnt Good ** ..Fair * ... Poor * Zero ... ABomb on an entire album, though they both put in a good effort. Even worse, they don't have an especially unique qual- ity to their voices which would at least make listening interesting. The lyrics are not particularly spec- tacular. Take "Screwed It Up," with lyr- ics that consist mainly of the title of the song. "I screwed up. I screwed it, I screwed it. I screwed up." Very deep. Not surprisingly, the rest of the songs don't have much more to say. Several of the lyrics speak for themselves: "Tur- moil in tinfoil, so we don't spoil," "Lack of balance, crutch my shove," and "I'm the cellophane," are all typical of the mind-numbing lyrical wisdom that Limblifter can provide you with. Perhaps the funniest and best part of "Limblifter" is the song "Deathdefier," where Ryan attempts a heavy-metal voice while sticking to traditional rock melodies. Even the most average al- bums still provide some comic relief. Often the songs all sound alike, a trait not uncommon with most one-hit won- ders. Listening to an entire album, but thinking it's just one song on automatic repeat, is never a positive sign. As Limblifter tells us themselves in the song "I Wonder If," "I wonder if I'm nothing much." Ryan and Kurt Dahle can stop wondering. While Limblifter may have one hot hit, overall they're pretty mediocre and definitely nothing much. - Lise Harwin The members of Limblifter sure know how to party down, brother. We're oulta here for a week due to Sprng Break! The Classifieds Department will be closed March 4th through March 8th. We will reopen on March 11th. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY OFFERS * Unmatched academic programs " Internships with world-class firms * Business courses in three countries * Generous grants and scholarships 11- Alc a s PR% A I%* A ti N it r .i V A M" '#% i!