'Anatomy of a Murder," starring Jimmy Stewart, plays tonight at
:he Michigan. Stewart is a lawyer defending a young army lieu-
enant who experienced some mental breakdowns.. The film is
)ased on a true story written by a Michigan judge, and it was
ilmed in the Upper Peninsula. George C. Scott also stars in the
)tto Preminger movie. The screening begins at 4:10 p.m.
~bz £ Cmxkl
IU
0 Check out a review of Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin's lat-
est mediocre film, "Mercury Rising."
Tuesday
April 7, 1998
5
-itzel catches listeners mlynes
ly Brian Cohen
)aily Music Editor
Mark Eitzel has maintained a cult following
ince his early days as founder, writer and
60ontman for American Music Club. He also is
ently the acting commissioner of all things
lark and gloomy for legions of listeners who
>refer their musical lifestyles to transpire in the
Licohol-drenched side alleys of the Prozac
iightscape.
And although Eitzel may not be the happiest
nan in the music industry, he has every reason
* Mark
Eitzel
Magic Stick
Today at 8 p.m.
to be pleased with the path
his career has wandered
since his solo bid began in
1994. Following last sum-
mer's release of "West,' a
stunning collaboration
with R.E.M. guitarist Peter
Buck, Eitzel has continued
to develop his musical
craft on his newest release
"Caught In a Trap and I
Can't Back Out 'Cause I
Love You Too Much Baby."
"I actually recorded this
album about a week
before the album with
in which the two albums were released. "This
album was very specifically in a certain mind-
set," he added. "I made it one thing."
And although Buck's intrinsic upbeat pop
sensibility is noticeably absent from "Caught,"
the album's own depressive nature is more
comforting than it is suffocating. -
In fact, it is even possible to detect a glimmer
of hope underneath the singer's perma-rasp on
songs like "Sun Smog Seahorse" which closes
the album in a gorgeous swirl of guitar and
emotion.
Because a lack of sonic details and textures
have been introduced on this album, the listen-
er is forced to concentrate on Eitzel's words
and the many subtle and raw harmonies creat-
ed by his often finger-picked guitar melodies.
But did Eitzel purposefully try to make
"Caught" even more of a lyrically expressive
offering than previous albums?
"Maybe I did," Eitzel said. "I recorded nine
songs with the band, so I was gonna do nine
songs with them and two acoustic. And then,
after I recorded the nine songs, I kinda felt like
five of them sucked, so I had to do something
else"
That "something else" ended up becoming
the bulk of "Caught," which remained mostly
acoustic simply because Eitzel's band, guitarist
Kid Congo Powers (Gun Club, Cramps and
Congo Norvell), bassist James McNew (Yo La
Tengo), and drummer Steve Shelley (Sonic
Youth), was unable to stay with him in the stu-
dio due to-vaiious touring commitments.
Nonetheless, Eitzel's bitter incisiveness cuts
through most of "Caught," especially on
"White Rosary," where he croons, "Rest a cold
hand on your forehead/ A comfort instead of a
cure."
Yes, its true - Eitzel not only understands
life's bittersweet ups and downs, but he also
knows how to sing about them with just the
right amounts of gritty despair and seduction to
make the listener grateful for his sympathetic
musical therapy.
For all those with and without a myriad of
psychological trauma in tow, tonight Eitzel will
bring himself and his acoustic guitar to the
Magic Stick in Detroit, along with opener Sue
Garner, of the Runons.
And although you probably won't have to
fight through crowds of thousands to experi-
ence Eitzel's unique unobtrusiveness, do expect
exposure to brilliant songwriting, untainted by
the ills of commercial success.
Forget about fancy light shows or glittery
back-up singers. Eitzel and his acoustic shall
speak for themselves.
Perhaps the talented artist said it best -
"I'm a songwriter - I just write songs."
Muck," Eitzel said in a recent interview,
xplaining the close proximity (eight months)
Courtesy of Warner Brothers
Mark EItzel brings his cunning style and charisma to the Magic Stick tonight at 8 p.m. celebrating
his latest release, "Caught In a Trap and I Can't Back Out 'Cause 1Love You Too Much Baby."
I
Mentzer carries her stellar voice to A2
>:: >
By Malcle Jones
Daily Arts Writer
The University will play host to an up-
and-coming operatic performer whose
presence has caused a stir of cxciteriient
within the musical community.
Mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer
will be singing a wide range of materi-
al tonight as a part of the University
Musical Society's annual season.
Born in Philadelphia, Mentzer began
singing in church choirs and high school
plays. She moved to Santa Fe where she
AP PHOTO
Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli perform on the Arsenio Hall
Show in October of 1992. Pllatus died on of an apparent drug overdose.
Ml1 i Van11lis Piatus
found dead at 32
Susanne
Mentzer
Mendelssohn
Theater
Tonight at 8
started taking
voice lessons and
classes at a com-
munity college.
Later, she enrolled
at the University
of the Pacific
where faculty
members urged
her to become a
performer. From
there, Mentzer
went on to be
trained at Juilliard
,were she spent
four years.
the Vienna State Opera, La Scala and
the Covenant Garden.
She has worked with many conduc-
tors, including Christoph Eschenbach,
Giuseppe Sinopoli, Bernard Haitink,
Sir Georg Solti, Neville Marriner and
Daniel Barenboim; she also has been
repeatedly conducted by Riccardo
Muti, most notably as Zerlina in "Don
Giovanni.
Mentzer has usually been known for
her trouser roles, performing young
men and boys such as Octavian and
Julius Caesar. Her impersonations of
males in operas such as "Idomeneo"
have been hailed by the New York
Times as being "fiercely felt and splen-
didly controlled." She has recently
begun to take on more feminine roles
including Dorabella in "Cosi fan tutte"
and Adalgisa in "Bellini Norma."
Besides performing, Mentzer spends
much of her time organizing benefits for
charities that bring relief to those suffer-
ing from AIDS. Performers at her bene-
fits have included Placido Domingo,
William Sharp and Carol Vaness. The
performances commemorate all the
members of the opera world that have
been lost to this horrible disease.
"A mezzo-soprano like Susanne
Welcome
AMA
Pledges
Jennifer Julie
Sara Emily
Nicole Livia
Tricia
Mentzer should be able to give a great
performance in Mendelssohn," said
first-year Music student Stephanie
King, "because the acoustic quality of
the building is outstanding,"
Mentzer's performance will be
accompanied by pianist Craig
Rutenberg. This should allow the audi-
ence to hear the full range of Mentzer's
singing ability without the overbearing
noise of a large musical accompani-
ment.
Her program for tonight includes
three selections from Gluck including
"Vieni che poi sereno" and "3 Klopstock
Leiden." Mentzer will also sing "Je te
veux," "La Diva do U'Empire" and two
other pieces by Satie.
Two selections by Du Parc will be
presented along with "Arianna a
Naxos" by Haydn. Mentzer's combina-
tion of pieces should make the evening
entertaining and enjoyable.
Because demand for Mentzer's talent
Courtesy of 1MG Artists
Mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer will
perform tonight at the Mendelssohn.
far exceeds her availability, she has lim-
ited the number of appearances she
makes each year, and her performance
should be worthwhile.
Ticketsfor Susanne Mentzer are $15-
$25, and are available at the UMS Box
Office. Call 764-2538 for more details.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -
Rob Pilatus, a former model
whose career as half of the pop
music duo Milli Vanilli crashed in
disgrace and drug addiction after
it was revealed that the group lip-
synched its songs, died, the Bild
am Sonntag newspaper said
Sunday. He was 32.
Pilatus was alone when he died
in a Frankfurt hotel room late
Thursday after consuming alco-
hol and pills, the newspaper
reported.
An autopsy was being conduct-
ed to determine the exact cause of
death, the newspaper said.
Pilatus and his Milli Vanilli
partner, Fabrice Morvan, won a
1989 Grammy for Best New Artist
after hits like "Blame it on the
Rain" and "All or Nothing."
But in late 1990, the performers
were stripped of the award after it
was revealed that neither actually
sang on Milli Vanilli records; that
was done by studio musicians who
were not credited.
In 1979, Mentzer gained national
attention when she appeared in a tele-
vised performance with Luciano
Pavarotti. She made her professional
debut with the Texas Opera Theater a
Rossini's "Cenerentola" and her
European debut as Cherubino in
Cologne's presentation of "Le nozze di
Figaro."
Mentzer has also performed with the
Metropolitan Opera, debuting as
Cherubino, and later playing such roles
as Rosina in "The Barber of Seville."
Other prestigious houses that have host-
ed Mentzer in performances include
Read Weekend, etc. on Thursday to learn
about some of the interesting people who
add character to Ann Arbor.
Play College JEOPARDY! Online
by April 13th for a chance to compete
head to head in the Finals in New York
- City! Win a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am!
Play College JEOPARDY! Online at:
www.station.sonV.com/collegeieopardv
A
Single Eye Of Light:
Sacred Visions
(Poems & Letters)
Ronne R. Gleason a University cf Michigan graduate with
concentrations in psychology, philosophy and religion fills
the void within each of us with his new book.
Poems steeped in cosmic fragrance, letters woven in silken yarn, make for
a literal feast of the mind. A smorgasbord of mystical and psychological
verse that reverberates long afterwards in the mind of the reader buttressed
by letters that test one's own sense of reality.
In the long letter, "Letter to a Young Woman," the author introduces
Psycho-Spiritual commentaries on the inner life with a brief introduction to
the Gurdjieff-Ospensky teachings. Two of the gems are as follows:
Self-Remembering: the need to transport consciousness into the waking
state or self-remembered mode. This state has nothing to do with what you
would imagine it to be. This has nothing to do with contemporary psy-
chological self-help meandering"(s)." The second gem: The metaphysical
sexual interplay of energy between male and female resulting in the karmic
consequences of becoming one flesh.
In "Parody The Critic," the author gives a satirical expose' of man's artifice
buried beneath his or her divineness. Although the author presents a
somewhat caustic view of the human condition in Parody The Critic, it is
speckled with humor and buttered with comedy, laughable.
In "A Child is Born," the author shares in poetic fashion the futility of base
pleasures of this world and his eventual transformation into the splendors
of the heavenly worlds.
In "Overheard in the Gym," the author introduces an imaginary conver-
sation between a basketball, a basketball backboard, a basketball floor, a
basketball rim and players. A sensational review on managing both the win
and loss columns of one's heart.
In the "Thank You Poem," the author extols the teaching value of a myriad
of personal encounters in life.
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