$- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 27, 1996
UK's Scene swims to Shelter
Comedian
.
By Philip Son
Fear the Daily
The group has sold more than I million albums in the U.K.,
they hang out with Oasis. It is opening for heroes The Who
on the "Quadrophenia" tou.
What band is this? It's Birmingham, England's Ocean
Colour Scene, which is touring America to support its MCA
debut, "Moseley Shoals." With recent U.K. hits like "The Day
We Caught the Train" and "You've Got
It Bad," Ocean Colour Scene is ready to
take on America. PR
For all intents and purposes, Ocean
Colour Scene uses the same pop for-
mula that was been successful for earli-
er British pop groups like The Beatles Tonighta
and The Rolling Stones. "There have
been bands who were wicked for their
singles. Look at The Who or The Stones. From '65 to '67,
they did five or six classic singles, just classic rock singles-
rock. poetry. I think ultimately that I like the idea of a band
having a relationship with the social form of the day," singer
Simon Fowler said in an interview with The Michigan Daily.
This fondness for '60s and '70s bands has led some to
laim that Ocean Colour Scene's music is blatantly derivative
or retro. But Fowler disagrees with any sort of categorization
of his music.
Fowler, along with guitarist Steve Cradock, bassist Damon
Minchella and drummer Oscar Harrison, displays an air of
confidence in his music even though the band's sophomore
at 1
Wit
album took five years to release. Record company struggles
and Cradock's flight to Paul Weller's band left the group in
the dust by the fickle British press.
"I don't give a toss about the press to be quite honest. We
don't need the British press. ... So you go front cover in
Melody Maker. Well, about 60,000 people buy Melody
Maker, that's all. You go on "Top of the Pops" (a weekly U.K.
chart show) and 7 million people see you. So what's the fuck-
ing trouble?" Fowler argued.
"Most of the press that we've had is
EVIEW completely vile-- it's awful. The thing
nColour is: No one else agrees with (the press)
ean C r anyway."
Scene Ocean Colour Scene displays this
he Shelter at 10 p.m. take-no-prisoners attitude in its music.
This has helped it and Oasis remain
friendly throughout the bands' careers.
"Well, we've known (Oasis) and been friends with them in
the same ways we are now when no one would touch us with
the shit end of the stick!" Fowler admitted.
He also gives credit to Oasis, whose worldwide popu-
larity has opened the doors to similar bands like Ocean
Colour Scene. "They've made it mainstream. ... We are a
mainstream band now in England. That wouldn't have hap-
pened three years ago. There hasn't been a band like Oasis
since the Beatles. Not a band. I mean, they're bigger than
Slade!"
And Fowler does not shy away from becoming England's
next big thing: "America is 60 percent of the record buying
on Saturday
.
Bernie Mac
attacks Motown
Ocean Color Scene is wavy and dreamy.
market in the world. Also. America is kind of where it began
.... I don't really know how it works (in America) but I'd like
to be as big as possible.
"Tell you what: l'd like to play Shea Stadium. I mean, that's
how big it would be good to be"
Perhaps some day his wish will come true.
Souls bounce through St. Andrew's on current tour
By Coin Bartos
Dadly Arts \riter
-if you're getting sick of the monotony of
1990s California punk, the Bouncing Souls
might be the band for you. These guys
mike sure they don't sound like all those
b4nds. Instead, Bouncing Souls blends old-
school East-Coast hardcore and humor to
tome up with a derivative, yet fun and
unique sound.
Guitarist Pete Steinkopf, drummer Shal
Khichi, bassist Bryan Kienlen and vocalist
Greg Attonito started playing together in high
school in New Jersey. In a telephone inter-
view with The Michigan Daily, Kienlen
explained how the band was doomed from
the start: "After high school ... we kind of
just moved into a punk house together. I
remember those days ... feeling like every-
one had us convinced that we had complete-
ly thrown away our future."
The Bouncing Souls moved to New
Brunswick, N.J., and put out a couple EP's
and 7" singles. Then the band started to tour.
"We got to the. point where we toured too
much (and) we couldn't afford to ... pay rent
"('The Good, The Bad, and the Argyle')
is actually more of a collection," Kienlen
said. "We threw all the 7" on there. and
threw a couple of songs we had like ran-
while we were gone. And
then we got past
that point," Kienlen
said. "We've gotten to
the point where we P
actually prefer to stay \ T)
on tour - so our
homelessness (has) a
sense of purpose." Saturday at St
The group has been Descendents.
to Detroit on various
bills (four or five times this year alone), in
support of its latest record, "Maniacal
Laughter." Appearing on BYO Records, a
micro-indie label, this is the second full-
length album from the Bouncing Souls. It's
different than the band's debut, "The Good,
The Bad, and The Argyle," in that it is a com-
plete record from start to finish.
domly recorded
EVIE W
he Bouncing
Souls
. Andrew's Hall with The
The concert is sold out.
pretty much a dr
us.
for compilations, and then
we did a handful, like
five or six, songs at
one time. 'Maniacal
Laughter' was record-
ed all at once. It was
kinda like one whole
thought regarding one
year ... of just drink-
ing and touring. It was
unk, alcohol-soaked era for
combined with silly '80s covers like "I Know
What Boys Like" and "I Want Candy" make
it fun for the listener. The music sounds like
a raw East-Coast version of Rancid at times,
but without the political banter. Influences
like Black Flag, The Toasters, Fishbone and
'80s pop music define the Souls' sound, and
that wide range gives the band its unique out-
look.
One thing you won't see the Bouncing
Souls doing is telling fans who to be. The
group wants kids to decide for themselves
when they see the Souls play. "For bands to
go up there and preach about anything or to
go and bitch about anything -- that's crap to
us" Kienlen said. That's one reason why
you'll see Souls fans are among the most
diverse fans in the punk scene. And everyone
sings along and has a good time. This is the
thing Kienlen liked best about his band's
appeal.
"There's room for everybody!"
By Eugene Bowen
Daily Arts WNriter
Bernie Mac is coming to town.
Well-known for his appearances on "H BO's Def Comedy
Jam" and his long list of movie roles - including the not-o-
saved minister in "Friday," the blunt-speaking unclijn
"House Party 3," a homeless beggar in "Above the Rim" and
the sarcastic "nigga-need-coat-like-coat-need-nigga" passen-
ger in "Get on the Bus" - Mac is no stranger to fans
African American comedy. Even if he prefers that no
think of his style
of humor in that
way. PREVIEW
"I don't con-
sider myself a Berie Mac
black or a white Appearing at the FoxTheater
comedian," Mac on Saturday at 8 and 11:45 p.
poite ou i aTickets: $27.50, $35,$5;
pointed out in a
recent interview
with The Michigan Daily. "I'm just a comedian. Every 4,
is human. It baffles me that (1) have to have a title*~
'African American man.' Why can't I just be a mant? I've per-
forned to about everybody: In biker bars and in gang bars
and at elite corporate functions. That was my training. Now I
can cover the whole spectrum of people."
This Saturday, Bernie Mac will bring his more than 20
years of "gentle-
man's comedy"
to the Fox
Theater .in
-' ~ Detroit for two
shows, one st
w ing at 8 p.m. and
the other begin-
Wing at I:45
p.m. And from
where will his' be
getting his mater-
ial?
"The people.
From observing
and listening,"
noted.
everybody can
listen, but I can.
Comedian Bernie Mac arrives in Detroit Everybody is
this weekend. The performer Is known funny; comedi-
for his wide range of TV and film work. ans just know
how to presen it.
I use a different
perspective. I turn tragedy into humor. That's a part of all our
lives, and people relate to it.
"My comedy is about sharing from the heart. I am gonna be
your entertainer. No insults, no cussing. I'm gonna be
doctor for an hour and a hal f. I'm gonna make you double over
and laugh."
His ability to make audiences smile in a world that gives
us more reasons to cry is exactly what makes Bernie Mac and
his material remarkable. Don't miss him.
Not known for subtlety, the band's mem-
bers write songs about whatever pops into
their heads. And it usually turns out to be
good for a laugh. Originals like " Like Your
Mom," "The BMX Song" and "These Are
The Quotes From Our Favorite '80s Movies,"
KAPLANWeekend
- M A G A Z I N E
Si
.
MAKE A STATEMENT
WITHOUT ALL THAT HIGH-STEPPING.
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p d 7
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