The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 29, 19b6 - 9
LIog visits Detroit, fattens its reputation
3y Colin Bartos
)aily Arts Writer
From the heart of Los Angeles, another three-piece
>and has hit the music scene relatively quickly. They're1
-og, and they just came out to play a little good ol'
ock'n'roll.
Hog started in December of 1994 when lead singer
md guitarist Kirk
ler recruited two HOG, WITH
ers, drummer
)illinger and bassist BROTHER CANE
vatt Gillis, to play Where: The State Theater
'otte of Miller's cre- When: Tonight.
tions. In a recent in- Tickets are available at all
erview with The TicketMaster locations. Call (81
vichigan Daily, 645-6666 for more information.
vlillerexplainedhow
tall started: "Through a series of tragic downfal Is in my
>wn music career ... eventually I got tired of being the1
ide guy and having to conform ...."l
he name Hog, .obviously the product of many
lours of strenuous and heated deliberation, was cho-I
en because, "It's simple, it's easy to remember, and
it's easy to spell," Miller said. Hog made a name for
itself quickly in Los Angeles, where Geffen Records
took notice of them and signed them shortly thereaf-
ter.
Hog released their debut disc, "Nothing Sacred,"
earlier this year. "The album is the product of a lot of
years of frustration and things not happening," Miller
explained. "It's a bit of a roller coaster ride ...
just not like the same song over and over.....
It's nice to be able to shift gears."
"Nothing Sacred" has a variety of different
types of songs, which Miller attributed to the
wide range of bands that Hog listens to. Idols
like Kiss, Van Halen and AC/DC have rubbed
L) off on Miller and company, giving them an
edgy rock sound. From the Green Day-esque
"Shut Down" and "Get A Job," to the "folk-
metal," as Miller put it, of "Aching," to the "hillbilly
porch jam""You And Me," which rounds out the disc,
Hog covers most of the bases.
When asked what sets them apart from every other
three-chord playing band out there today, Miller cock-
ily replied, "One four-letter word: BURN. We burn.
We get comparisons to like Green Day ... those guys
do a great job, whateva, OK, but it's really safe
compared to what we do. We're young, we're hungry,
and we're on fire. I think that's what puts us aside."
Miller said although the record is good, the live
show is what Hog thrives on. "You gotta come out and
see the live show. We break things. We have a good
time. We take it all the way to the top. You're gonna
hear feedback and just, guitar. Shit burns."
Although the money - when it comes - the girls
and the rock'n'roll lifestyle are nice, Hog is concen-
trating on one thing: making people happy. "We want
to ultimately build this thing up where we can make a
lot of people happy. I have to write songs ... but if
nobody wants to hear them, then I won't do it," Miller
quipped. "We want to entertain people. The best high
there is is to work so hard for something and to see
you're making people happy."
As far as the future, Miller "(hopes) that this band
can carve a little niche and that (Hog) won't get
pigeonholed in any one lump thing." Hog's hard
work, touring, and talent might make them a name
you throw around in the mud in the coming months.
Up-and-coming LA. band Hog visits Detroit's State Theater tonight.
-pop rockers tour
ylHeather Phares Tony Maxwell, That Dog's drum-
ilyArts Writer mer, recalled the experience on the
such like mailmen and women, rock phone at a St. Louis Denny's: "It was
Sicians aretroupers. Neitherrainnor pretty bad. They shut all the roads be-
i eet nor wind stops them from touring. tween Denver and Kansas City, basi-
now, however, is another matter. Es- cally. We were trapped for about a day
>ecially when it's one of the worst and a night, but all the time we weren't
torms in recent memory. That Dog's sure if the roads would open. It was
reat punk-pop tunes and easygoing really nervewracking."
ttitude were no match for a late call Still, the band managed to make the
rom Old Man Winter; they were best of things by heading to their spiri-
tranded in Kansas City while fellow tual home away from home - a shop-
ourtates the Foo Fighters left without ping mall. Lead singer/songwriter/gui-
them. tarist Anna Waronker explained its
in Dog days of winter
--
THAT DOG
Where: The State Theater
When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are sold out.
magical pull: "I'm very happy and ex-
cited when I'm in a mall. It's a sense of
comfort. There's tons of food, movie
theaters, shoe stores - it totally lets us
just take our minds off of what we're
doing and go somewhere else with our-
selves."
Somewhere else ended up being the
movie theater. "We ended up seeing
two really bad movies," Maxwell said.
"We saw 'Girl 6,' which wasn't very
good. There were a few OK parts, but
overall it was pretty shoddy. And we
saw 'Diablolique.' We thought a mind-
less thriller would be fun but it wasn't."
Well, at least That Dog isn't in Kansas
anymore.
Aside from some late-winter bliz-
zards, the band is having a good time on
the road. "We've played three shows so
far. Last night in Kansas City it was
kind ofa meat-headed audience. People
who just wanted to rock. And then we
came out, and maybe we were a little
more complicated than what they're
used to," Maxwell said with a laugh.
Though the group enjoys touring, it's
recording that fires That Dog's imagi-
nation. Maxwell explained, "It's an in-
teresting, mysterious process. With
touring you've just got to get going. All
it requires is a lot ofenergy and stamina,
whereas recording requires a lot of ere-
ativity and artistry."
"Touring's hard 'cause I'm not really
comfortable leaving my home for long
periods of time," Waronker sighed.
"Once I get out there it gets better. It's
just the van rides and waking up at 5 in
the morning that's really gruelling."
There is a method to the touring mad-
ness for That Dog, though. The group
has written more than 20 new songs and
expects to cut a new album in June. So
"we're using this as the practice run for
the songs. They're more showtuney, I
think. They're broader. More singing
out, more personal lyrics," Waronker
said.
Even if their music wasn't progress-
ing, a new album from That Dog is
welcome news. Their unusual sound
mixes three-part, spun-sugar harmonies
with crashing guitars and lilting vio-
lins. Both ofthe group's albums, 1994's
self-titled debut and last year's "Totally
Crushed Out!" melds their interesting
music with witty songwriting.
Waronker explained how the group
achieved its iconoclastic sound: "When
I started playingguitar I wasjust kind of
faking it and seeing what I could pull
off. It turned into something that was
kind of unique. The harmonies are in all
of our heads. We've always sung har-
monies that are sort of different, and
Rachel and Petra have been singing
together their whole lives, so it's very
natural for us."
Another natural decision for That Dog
was to make "Totally Crushed Out!" a
See DOG, Page 10
University Activities Center
2105 Michigan Union
763-1107
i
A
19 54-1996
--------------
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L
_ V
Death metal rock band hits the Shelter
r
w a. s
By Brian A. Gnatt
Daily Music Editor
With songs about demons, witches,
dying, death metal band Cathedral
would most likely send anti-rock'n'roller
Bob Dole into cardiac arrest.
The band's classic dark heavy metal
CATHEDRAL
Where: The Shelter
When: Saturday. Doors open at
6:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at all
TicketMaster locations. Call (810)
-.666 for more information.
would most likely be enough to offend
ven the most liberal member of the
American Civil Liberties Union.
From the first verse off their Septem-
r 1995 release, "The Carnival Bizarre,"
Cathedral jumps right into its crunchy
death metal riffs and gloom lyrics. "Skull
ofGod with the Devil's eyes/ Crowned in
fire sodden sky ..."
"I know they're about demons and
stuff like that, but we try to do it in a way
with a twisted smile on our face," Cathe-
dral guitarist Gaz Jennings said in a tele-
phone interview with The Michigan Daily.
"You don't take it all too seriously. There
are a lot of bands out there who think it's
a be all and end all, but it's not like that
with us at all. We just like to have fun at
the gigs and stuff like that, which is what
it's about basically."
Along with former Napalm Death
member Lee Dorrian, Jennings formed
Cathedral in 1990. With some line-up
changes, the band currently includes
bassist Leo Smee and drummer Brian
Dixon.
After three full-length albums and
two EPs, Cathedral has found its place
in the world ofunderground metal. With
their superb musicianship and catchy
riffs, they have been able to keep cre-
ativity and songwriting at a high level,
something many of their death metal
peers have trouble doing.
"In this day and age, there are a lot of
bands who are extremely heavy,"
Jennings said. "Yet the thing is, I think
a lot of bands miss the point, because
they're just trying to be so heavy that
they miss the point about writing a
good song or a catchy riff.
"What we're trying to do is try and
write really heavy riffs, but stuff that's
melodic and catchy. You can hum it
and it's memorable, yet at the same
time, it's not a cop out. It's still totally
heavy, which is the basis of what Ca-
thedral was based on anyway."
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MARTY'S
M ENSWEAR
& FORMALWEAR
24th Anni
Dance for Mother Earth
Ann Arbor Pow Wow
March 29, 30 & 31, 1996
UM Crisler Arena
1
The University of Michigan
School of Music
Sunday, March 31
Digital Music Ensemble: NETJAM
Stephen Rush, director
McIntosh Theatre, 4 p.m.
Monday, April 1
Guest Master Class
Phil Sinder, tuba and euphonium
Recital Hall, 4:30-6 p.m.
Early Music Ensemble
Edward Parmentier, director
" Choral and instrumental music by Lassus, Mas saino,
Sweelinck, Schein, J. S. Bach, Telemann and Frescobaldi
Blanche Anderson Moore Hall, 8 p.m.
Composers Forum
Recital Hall, 8p.m.
Tuesday, April 2
Guest Master Class
Cleveland Ballet Dancing Wheels
Betty Pease Studio Theatre, 12:45-2:15 p.m.
Guest Lecture/Demonstration
Cleveland Ballet Dancing Wheels
Betty Pease Studio Theatre, 6 p.m.
University Symphony and Philharmonia O tchestras
Kenneth Kiesler, conductor
" Strauss: Fanfare for the City of Vienna
" Berg: Violin Concerto, with soloist
Kirsten Yon, 1994-95 Concerto Competitio A winner
" Schumann: Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish"
Hill Auditorium, 8p.m.
Thursday, April 4
Javanese Dance Drama and Gamelan Cosicert
Hill Auditorium; 8p.m.
Euphonium/Tuba Ensemble Spring Con cert
Recital Hall, 8 p.m.
Jazz Composer's Orchestra
McIntosh Theatre, 8 p.m.
please help us
CELEBRATE OUR 27TH ANNIVERSARY!
4 DAYS ONLY
THURSDAY MARCH 28TH - SUNDAY 31ST
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Every item in our store will be
REDUCED.
Suits & SDort Coats
* , 4K,
A gathering of ovet 1,000 of North Ameica 's
finest champion dancers and singers. Come see the
country's most ieknown Native Craftspeople and
Artisans diplaying and seIling their authentic work.
Doors open Friday 5:00 PM
Grand Entry 7:00 PM
Doors open Sat. & Sun. 11:00 AM
Saturday Grand Entries 1:00 & 7:00 PM
Sunday Grand Entry 1:00 PM
Adults $8/day
Child (3-12) $3/day
Students and Seniors $5/day