Ulbe oIrhituu &zal, Oh Fellini! The Frederico Fellini Film Festival rolls on at the Michigan Theater with 1954's "La Strata." The quirky and touching story centers around a young woman forced into an odd, abusive relationship with a traveling performer. Italian with subtitles. Showtime is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6, $5 for students. Wednesday March 27, 1996 Verve pipes its way into national scene By Karl Jones Daily Weekend Editor If the Verve Pipe's old material was a huge, purple sofa, their major label debut "Villains" (RCA) would certainly be the black, leather couch of releases. The former is a bit wider, woven from a different hue, but the latter is sleek and under- stated in the smartest way. Yesterday's release date for "Villains" marked the offi- _ ial seat change for the East Lan- sing based band - the official THE VER transition from local to national Where: Schoolk musicians. According to Doug When: Tonight Corella (percussion, keyboard), however, it doesn't much matter where you're sitting as long as the audience can hear what you're saying. harmonies," Corella said. Although the resulting album wraps itself much more comfortably around a common theme, Corella admitted that they haven't completely severed ties to the harmonies that have become a Verve Pipe tradition. "I really miss (the harmonies). That's one of the strong things about the band, in my opinion, and when we do it live, I still feel we pull the harmonies out. But (producer) tea. Jerry Hirrison (Live Crash Test am ids "I'm excited about (the release). Once that album hits nationally, people will have a better understand- ing of who we are," Corella stressed. "I'm really *roud of it, and I think it rocks really hard." "Villains" is actually much more rock oriented than the band's first two albums "Pop Smear" and "I've Suffered a Head Injury." Where previous material was full of glossy harmonies and sweeping vocal arrange- ments, the Verve Pipe-which consists ofBrain Vander Ark (lead vocals, guitar), Brad Vander Ark (bass, back- ground vocals), Donny Brown (drums, background vo- cals), A.J. Dunning (guitar, background vocals) and Corella - has streamlined its sound to bring the focus back to the music on "Villains." This new musical ntensity manifests itselfin guitar-drivenjams like "Rev- 'rend Girl," twisty keyboard solos in songs like "Penny is Poison" and even the cerebral, story-like "Veneer." "We just went through the approach of trying to strip down the harmonies to make the musical portion of the song more interesting. Now that we're adding keyboards and things, I don't think there's as much focus on the 4V11J iJ~ill to~ll k - , V G. 1A Dummks) wasjust into the ideaof IPEstripping it down. And when I s Records listen to the whole album, I really 6. Free. like it. "I do think there are moments when I would like those colors and those harmonies in there," Corella continued. "But I think we've found the common thread. Like if you look at 'Pop Smear,' it's pretty diverse. I think with this album, we have that common thread, and that's the direction we were trying to head in." Verve Pipe junkies will be happy to know that the band has chosen to include a new version of the much- requested, much-loved ballad "The Freshmen" on their latest release. "The original version was a little too straight for me," Corella said. "Our predicament was also this - we wanted to put 'Freshmen' on (the album), but if we did it like the original with just bass and guitar, it wouldn't be conducive to anything else on the album. That's why we came up with these subtle parts with everyone in the band playing." While it's still a little early to gauge the success of "Villains," the band did manage to sell 500 tickets to their April 13 Michigan Theater show in the first day of ticket sales alone. This may have something to do with the fact that "the boys from East Lansing" have their largest fan base in their home state, but according to Corella, the Verve Pipe has already begun attracting national attention. "Matt Pinfield from '120 Minutes' is really into the band. We just saw him at a couple shows, and he's so crazy about the band that he practically salivates," Corella laughed. The band is hoping this connection will draw their new video for "Photograph" into the welcoming arms of the MTV buzz bin. But if the video does get picked up, the band has no plans to suddenly strike the jaded rock star pose and forget about their small town roots. "I don't think my ego's being inflated-- oh, sure, it feels good playing to people that really dig you, and I'm sure inside of me there's a part that feels really lucky to be doing that. But at the same time, I'm just the kind of guy that has always worked hard to move up, and I don't let that get to my head," Corella said. Corella also said that band members often take time out to communicate with the fans that helped boost them to the level of success they have already achieved. "I'm just constantly on e-mail talking to people," he said. "I do love getting letters from people, too, but e-mail is just quicker for traveling purposes. We also answer every single letter we get." "I think it's great that Michigan is getting back on the map," Corella continued, in reference to the in- creasing number of local bands that have been signing to major labels recently. "There's a lot of great stuff going on right now in East Lansing, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, all these college towns. It's not solely just a Detroit thing - I think that's one thing this band is really cautious about. A lot of people have labeled us as 'from Detroit,' but we're from East Lansing. You kind of have to give credit where credit is due." With their small-town sensibility, it's no wonder that the Verve Pipe's musical "Villains" have stolen the corner on the local pop/rock market. And with a new, stripped-down sound, the band may soon be stealing hearts on a national level. The Verve Pipe is just crazy about their fans. That's why they made a new album. Just for you. Really, money had nothing to do with it. Check out The Verve Pipe's web site at http://thevervepipe.com. Problems are solved right 'Here' By Mitchell Katz For the Daily Communication problems led Othello to strangle his blushing bride Desdemona and pushed the miserable divorce-bound couple in "War of the Roses" to murder each other. In this long tradition of com- munication breakdowns comes Michael Frayn's "Here," which revolves around a couple that fights over where to move items of furniture, among other things. "Here" focuses on acouplenamedCath HERE and Phil at two stages in their lives - as a Where: Arena Th young couple mov- (basement of Fri ing into their first Building) apartment, and as an When: Thursday1 oldercouplemoving Saturday at 5 p. into a bigger apart- Admission is fre ment. The actors who play the younger couple (Aric Knuth and Jamie Saginor) and the actors who play the older couple (Jon Berry and Sophina Brown) are onstage together during the show, but "of course they never interact," said directorAllisonTkac,. "Here" is a reference to the problems that arise between the couple at both stages - not only questions about money and children, but trivial debates about what goes here and there, about where to place a chair in an apartment. It is these communication problems between couples that are the primary heal ez th m. e . themes of "Here." Tkac said, "I think that cooperation, and love, how couples decide things, how couples grow to- gether or apart: Those types of basic couples issues are the crux of the play. They're just basic ideas of communi- cating to someone you love that every- one knows about and that everyone can see a part of themselves in." "Here" is darker than Frayn's best- known comedies, such as the backstage farce "Noises Off." "These people live nice lives, but ter 'there's something e very tragic about their miscommuni- rough cation.' They have problems because they really love each other and it's obvious that they were meant to love each other," Thac continued. Cath and Phil also have problems com- municating on a sexual level. They keep letting their neighbor, an older widow played by Ellen Dobrin, interrupt their foreplay. This, Tkac said, is a huge road sign to their communication problems. Besides the mental and sexual spar- ring, there is some out-and-out brawling, as love becomes a battlefield for the be- leaguered couple. "These are some pretty physical people," Tkac said. In one of the show's several choreographed fight scenes, the couple decides to fight it out ii order to reach some trivial decision. "It" an almost comic moment, because th woman who is cast as the older Cathi lot smaller than her counterpart and sh throws him across the room. She whip his ass,'. Tkac said. The show's themes of communica tion and love should greatly appeal t college students, who, Tkac said;w il see much of themselves in "theyver likable and sympathetic" Cath.4, Phil. "I don't think anyone has ha the absolutely perfect relationship th they can't understand what these cha; acters are going through." Tkac said she'd be really intereste to see couples' reactions to the shoo. and said that it could be a very health therapeutic experience. "I think itcoul encourage them to talk about a lot c things. I really do see a lot of things tht happen to these characters replayed i relationships I've had, (as well as) i other people's relationships." Springtime will soon be upon us, an April come she will. Couples wilt cooing to each other on the Diag. Wh knows - perhaps those particularl happy-looking couples will have bee the ones to have seen "Here," reversin the downward spiral ofeommunicatic breakdown to the point where they loc as happy as the squirrels lolling aroun underneath the Ann Arbor sky. "We are here to race, and race we will." #Race the Sun' rec yes good cheer By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer Many "teen-age motivation" movies are extremely similar at heart: Every new film is a recycled story in a different package. Yet, despite the lack of creativity involved in their plots, these movies can be quite entertaining - if done properly. Charles T. Kanganis' "Race the Sun," a new film based on the real- *ife experience of eight Hawaiian high 4 school students, is a prime example. The plot of "Race the Sun" is divided Ra into two parts. It begins with the arrival of Sandra Beecher (Halle Berry), an ambitious science teacher, at Kona Pali Directe High School in a low-income, diverse Kanganis; w section of Hawaii. In an attempt to an generate interest in the subject, Sandra .n asks the class to come up with propos- At Briarv is for a science project. When several f her students do not complete the assignment, she requires them to attend the district science fair to help develop ideas. At the science fair, the students come across a solar car, a project from a prestigious private school. The car is going to be raced at the island championships; afterward, the winning team will travel to Australia to take part in the world compe- tition. After a scuffle with the snobby designers of the car, the Lolos (Hawaiian slang for losers) decide to create their own solar vehicle, which they eventually race to victory over their wealthier rivals. In the second part of the film, the students travel to i Australia to compete with others from around the world. Accompanied by Mrs. Beecher and Frank Machi (James Belushi), a skeptical shop teacher, the Lolos and their rag tag automobile are ridiculed by their competitors, who are spon- sored by renowned universities and corporations. Despite all the hardships they face, the students are determined to finish the grueling race and win the respect of everyone. REVIEW Interestingly enough, the motivation that fuels the Lolos is not supplied by ce the Sun their teacher, but rather, by themselves. * * Mrs. Beecher merely introduces them to the world of science. From there, i by Charles T- they are determined to build the solar ith Halle Berry car on their own, only occasionally look- James Belushi ing to their instructor for support. It is refreshing to seethe underachiev- vood and Showcase ing high schoolers in "Race the Sun" treated with respect. Unlike "Danger- ous Minds," where Michelle Pfieffer's character has to bribe her students with candy bars to "reach them," Berry's Mrs. Beecher allows them to independently discover how the material they learn in school is going to affect them. Her role is to generate a slight curiosity, and then let her students find their own way. Berry, in an understated, yet extremely effective perfor- mance, brings the teacher to life. Her character is not an expert in adolescent psychology, nor does she ever pretend to be. However, she is wonderfully sincere and displays See SUN, Page 9 .,". _ _ __ r