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See Robert Zemeckis' 1997 riveting film, "Contact" at the Michigan
Theater tonight. Based on Carl Sagan's novel, the film stars Jodie
Foster as a radio astronomer who confirms the existence of aliens.
The film, according to Roger Ebert, "explores issues like love, death
and the existence of God." The film begins at 9:15 p.m. Admission is
$5 with student ID.
Friday
October 3, 1997
Jayhawks liven Pontiac with 'Sound'
.
Bt Anders Smitb-Lindall
aly Arts Writer
"The grapes are bitter / I'm no quit-
ter' the Jayhawks' Gary Louris sings
defiantly on "Big Star," a rocking track
from the band's new album, "Sound of
,Lies.' To the listener familiar with the
band's recent history, the line seems to
be a pointed refer- _
ence to departed
co-founder Mark P R
Olson. T
In late 1995, fol-
16wing the tour that C
sppported the
band's critically
acclaimed album, "Tomorrow the
Green Grass" Olson quit, splintering
the nucleus of one of the Midwest's
best-loved bands of the last 10 years.
Though the move came as a shock to
fans, bassist and founding member
Marc Perlman said in a recent interview
that band members saw the situation
coming to a head.
"If Mark didn't leave the band, Gary
would've left the band or I would've left
the band," Perlman said. "It was just
getting to the point where there just
wasn't enough room for everybody.
Gary and I and (keyboardist) Karen
(Grotberg) and (drummer) Tim
(O'Reagan) were more of a like mind to
go a certain way musically, and Mark
was of a mind to go a different way."
And so, after a monthlong break, the
band reassembled in its hometown of
Minneapolis and got back to work, enlist-
ing a couple of friends from the country-
rock supergroup Golden Smog (of which
Perlman and Louris are founding mem-
bers) - second guitarist Kraig Johnson
(also in Run Westy Run) and violinist
Jessy Greene (formerly of the Geraldine
Fibbers). The
resulting sessions
E V I E W were different from
e Jayhawks any in the band's
unday night at 7 p.m 10-year history,
ch Cargo's in Pontiac Perlman said.
$12.50 in advance "Basically (the
attitude during the
h
lut
recording of) this record was more like,
'Let's try that,' instead of, 'No, that won't
work,"' he said. "We never had experi-
enced that before. Everything that we
learned we didn't enjoy doing from our
last records we took to heart and wound
up not making those same mistakes
again. Now, it's much more of an open
book; I think Gary's just much more
inclusive (than Olson) as far as songwrit-
ing and arranging is concerned.'
The finished product, "Sound of
Lies;" is a departure from the countri-
fied rock and twangy vocal harmonies
that were the trademark of the Jayhawks
through its first four albums. Instead,
the band stretches the boundaries of its
sound, covering territory from the wide-
open pop-rock of "Big Star" to the
hard-edged, snare-driven "Dying On
the Vine"; the psychedelia-tinged
"Think About It" to spare, fragile bal-
lads like "Stick In the Mud" and the
album-closing title track.
But while the music is an adventur-
ous exploration of varied new sounds,
the thematic focus of Louris' lyrics is
more cohesive than any previous
Jayhawks album.
"The record is more unified as a
direct result of the fact that you don't
have that songwriting team," Perlman
said. "(But) Mark and Gary never real-
ly wrote as much together as people
think they did. They contributed to each
other's songs, but it was always five of
Gary's and five of Mark's. One of the
reasons Mark and Gary split up is
because they had too many songs to put
on one record, and thematically they
were going in different directions."
Louris' direction on "Sound of Lies"
is inward. The album's lyrics detail the
complicated process of breaking up
with an intimate partner, hardly surpris-
ing given that the songs were written
when Louris was struggling with both
the loss of Olson - his close friend and
artistic collaborator - and the painful
dissolution of his marriage.
"Gary likes to write about himself a
lot,' Perlman said. "(While) I don't
think that there's a lot of songs about the
breakup of the band, I'm sure he wrote
about his interpersonal relationships."
Much to his credit, Louris treads this
well-worn path without veering into
cliche, exploring in detail every stage of
a breakup - the initial doubts and mis-
trust ("The sound of lies rings funny
against the truth," he sings), the con-
frontation ("Seems it's high noon and I
ain't got no gun"), the difficulty of
returning to one's independence and
forging an identity without the partner
("I don't feel like me today, I'm dying
in the shadows"), the ultimate catharsis
and the realization that life goes on
("I'm flat busted, wild-eyed and free").
And on the rare occasions when he
sings a mundane line, like "You've got
me down on my knees / Begging you,
please, don't leave,"' he is saved by his
high wail that echoes with sincerity
(and more than a little Alex Chilton).
Despite its lyrical literacy, heartfelt
vibe and wealth of melodic hooks, the
album has met with little commercial
success to date. As a result, the band
cancelled much of its summer tour and
is only now returning to the road.
"This record just didn't take off like we
thought it would," Perlman said, "and we
sorta pulled the plug on a lot of the wast-
ing of time and money. We spent that
time doing much more constructive and
creative things, rehearsing and working
on new material," continued Perlman,
who tends bar when he's not being a rock
star. "It's a lot easier to sell beers and
write songs than it is to go on the road
and not make any money, playing the
Jayhawks' Gary Lourdis brings the band back to life with "Sound of ULs.
same songs every night. ... It'd be nice if
everything worked out according to some
master plan and went along perfectly, but
life doesn't work that way. We're too wise
for that now"
While this last comment might seem to
be the natural result of the well-publi-
cized, label-related legal and economic
headaches that have dogged the band for
a number of years, Perlman disagrees.
"That's too much of a story," he said,
"and the only people who seem to be
enamored with it are the press. Read
Rolling Stone and Entertainment
Weekly or whatever. All these maga-
zines, they're not interested in music at
all. We've done interviews where every
question is about our business stuff, and
we're just like, 'Wow, obviously you
haven't listened to the record!"'
If that is indeed the case, the writers for
those corporate rags are missing out-on
an excellent rock record. Overall, the
album not only holds up favorably along-
side previous Jayhawks efforts, but rajs
among the year's finest pop releases
"This is definitely my favorite
Jayhawks record," concurred Pdman.
"It was my favorite Jayhawks record to
make and to listen to.'
Young Radish is }
far from ripe
Radish
Restraining Bolt
wercury Records Radish should
4) Stars
off Catherine
It's not often that a record is so bad that it makes you want verse?
to smash it into about a thousand pieces, but that's exactly the The problem
feeling evoked when listening to Radish's first, and hopeful- is the highlight,
ay last, album, "Restraining Bolt.' ludicrously idiot
The only thing that these long-haired youngsters (I Silverchair, Bus
heard they're 16 and 17 years old) know about music is music like this is
how to rip it off. The first song alone speaks volumes for When Ben K
the band's creativity. "Little Pink Stars" sounds a bit too go to sleep" on
much like Nirvana for anyone's taste, and the chorus of "I on the head. It'
ewant the world to know that you're mine / I want to touch The album
you / Want the world to know that you're mine / I wanna because hopeful
feel you from the inside" is so original. Who else could rip
Jazz Dance Theater to bring new
angle, emotion to season premiere
have restraIned from making its debut, "Bolt."
Wheel and Nine Inch Nails in the same
with "Restraining Bolt" is that "Little Pink Stars"
and it sucks. Tracks like "Simple Sincerity," the
ic "Today's Bargain" and "My Guitar"sound like
h or any other unoriginal radio rock band. Why
s marketed really boggles the mind.
weller sings "I think it's past our bedtime, let's
the album's closer, "Bedtime," he hit the nail
s way past Radish's bedtime.
should have been called "Lightening Bolt?"
lly one will strike Radish next time they plug in.
- Colin Bartos
By Lucija Franetovic
For the Daily
The Jazz Dance Theater has some-
thing different planned for this week-
end's season premiere concert. Under
the direction of Adam B. Clark, the
10-year-old company will once again
put on an entertaining and powerful
show.
This time, though, there will be a
new light to the
dances, a more P
emotional
approach inspired Jazz
by the experiences Friday
that have filled the
quite as structured, with moments when
the dancers do whatever comes out of
their bodies."'
She and husband Adam Clark
illustrated the complexity of the the-
matic development in the three-part
finale piece, "Passion," an explo-
ration of "the intensities of daily life,
how people feel
express."'
R
r
r
ly
LEVIEW
Dance Theater
and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Mendelssohn Theater
$8 - call 995-4242
every day but can't
The finale
involves images of
crucifixion, physi-
cal anxiety, people
picking at other
people and actions
of defending our-
selves.
I
mar riaeo
BB E
A wild comedy by
Christopher Durang
a"4Trueblood Theatre
Oct.9-11, 16-18 at8 pm
' ct. 12 & 19 at 2 pm
ickets are $14
Charge by phone:
313-764-0450
~' -Student $a7 with ID
at the LeagueTicket Office
Department of
s: Theatre and Drama
v
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artists' lives. '
The all-female,°
professional jazz group will share its
emotions as it gives shape to the
three premieres and three returning
pieces that are the content of the
show.
The premieres include "Ragtime,"
set to the famous music of Scott Joplin,
"In Loving Memory," a dedication to
the director's family and a memory of
lost loved ones. "In Loving Memory" is
a trio spun like a story; the music is by
Sarah McLachlan and it "describes
friendships and relationships between
people and what happens during their
lifetimes."
Dancer and Assistant Director Lisa
Clark also explained the tone of this
whole show as "more physical and not
Part/Full Time
Programmer
for Start-up High Tech
Firm
Experienced with
GnC/ytal Reports
" Visual Basic Send Resume to
AMSAcess P.O.Box 4267
Ann Arbor MI 48106-4267
The entire company will perform
the first and third parts, and a solo by
Heather Fountain is wedged in
between.
Clark said that the dance doesn't
really resolve itself but that it
employs "lots of images presenting
scenarios that aren't really specific
but open to the interpretation -of the
audience and
that depends
on what each 61 enjoyed
individual has
g o n e create this
through."
The most It's like a 11
riveting
aspect of the Assistant director
performance
will be to see
the emotion and free, abstract, color-
ful movements blend with solidity
and good technique.
The returning pieces include "I
Swear to You," a crisp yet passionate
solo from current Miss Michigan
Kimberly Stec, "A Means to an
End," a group piece exploring com-
petition to the music of the Pet Shop
Boys, and "To Those Who Wait," a
jubilant and energetic dance- dedi-
cated to the director's mother._0
The last piece held its debut this
summer at the Jazz Dance World
Congress '97 in Wiesbadoi,
Germany.
The company plans to dance at ngt
summer's World Congress in ArizcW
as its goals are to grow into more of a
national and international touring
company.
In addition to the fall show, the
Jazz Dance Theater also performs. a
spring benefit show, which includes
a Youth Dance Project that incorpp-
rates little kids into the perfor-
mance.
Undet Clark's direction these
five years, Jazz Dance Theater has b K
much more active in the community,
taking part in many community events
and benefits as well as pageants and
exhibits.
The volunteer dance lovers have alto
engaged in many types of fundraisers in
their fight to keep thriving and develop-
ing in- spite of
diffiowit-times
elping and L IQw
funds-ompanye
'me ntio n ed
tie familty3"that ; . has
Lisa Clark been.-lot of
of Jazz DanceTh worl Adam
Clark ~likes
doing what
he's doing.
(It) "gives one the opporidity -:to
work with professionals and4eople
who love dance for a variety of'reas*
as well as the opportunity to be-creatve
and artistic and vent frustratir ," said
Clark.
"I enjoyed helping create : com-
pany. It's like a little family,"La.Clark
added.-"
With Jazz Dance Theater's'"expres-
sive strength and determination;it looks
like it will continue growing aii being
as strong as one.
lea
r
urn I
C
Friday, October 10
Michael Johnathon
with Liz Momblanco opening act
The University of Michigan
School of Music
Friday, October 3
Guest Recital: David Liebman (Jazz) Quartet
Britton Recital Hall, E. V. Moore Bldg., 8 p.m.
Dance Department: Alumni Guest Artist Series
Pease, 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 4
Bandorama
" Music by Sousa, Grainger and Shostakovich
" Daugherty: Niagara Falls, Slowly I Turn (world premiere)
Hill Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. [Tickets $81
Faculty/Student Recital
Anthony Elliott, cello
Howard Watkins, piano
Britton Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg., 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 5
University Chamber Orchestra: CANCELLED
"By its nature, folk is the originals fcrm of alternative music.
It always has been. Tshe true tradition ofolk is always to be fresh and
exciting." - Michael Johnathon
Friday, November 7
Local Folk Show
with Lisa Hunter, Jim Roll, Jo Serrapere & Tom Vesbit
QUALITYVINTAGE & RESALE CQTHIlN(,
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