8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 18, 2000 ARTS Local hip hop/funk band on Cloud Nine Violinist Tetzlaff brings rich music of Bach to life By Steve Gertz Daily Arts Writer Qver the past decade or so, the "col- lege scene" in Michigan has been rid- dled with lousy funk bands. You've seen them. Their dark specter still looms over every campus around the state, darkening the doors of frat par- ties, local bars and ramshackle night- clubs with their flimsy white-boy grooves. Eor, whatever reason, such groups Cloud 9 Blind Pig Tonight at 10 (stand up, Knee Deep Shag - you too, Botfly) fail to' extend their grasp beyond the trap- pings of Chili Pepper-esque faux-appropria- tions of funk. They lack groove. They lack soul. Per- haps they might own a few F u n k a d e I i c records, but that hasn't stopped the vast majority of them from reeking of a ho- hum blah-ness that is more akin to The Spin Doctors than it is to James Brown or The Meters. Jn recent years, however, Ann Arbor has proven itself to be an exception to the rule. Amid the popping basslines S en ByRobyn Melamed l4t0,Arts Writer ,.:riversity Activities Center pre- s4 ts the winter production of Impact I'Mte Theatre this weekend. The and hippyish guitar noodling of their contemporaries, bands like Funtelli- gence, Transmission and Poignant Ple- costomous have spiked their funky punch with welcome doses of hip-hop and free-form jazz, creating a sonic stew that is both inventive and engag- ing. It is from such a legacy that Cloud 9 emerges. The band uses relatively tradi- tional funk and jazz instrumentation as a backdrop for the remarkable vocal tal- ents of MC/singer Jamie Register. The resulting amalgam of half-rapped/half- sung lyrics and cooly subtle beats and grooves recalls the organic hip-hop of Lauren Hill and, especially, The Roots. "I think that we have a similar sound to The Roots, but not totally - we are inspired by them and (their mixture of) jazz, R & B and soul" explains Register. Although most of the band members have been playing together for some time, Cloud 9, as they exist in their pre- sent state, have been together for only four months. So far, they have graced The Bird of Paradise and The Blind Pig with their presence and they are looking forward to expanding their horizons. Bass player Donny Osbourne offers "we want to get up to Kalamazoo, Lansing and especially Detroit. There's a lot going on with hip-hop in Detroit right now. We don't want to just be an Ann Arbor band because people will get sick of us." The band members go out of their lance groi "appealing to a wide range of audi- ence members, even those without any knowledge of dance." Impact Dance Theatre is a student- run group that is only open to non- dance majors. This allows students from every neck of the woods the freedom to use their creative expres- sion. This year, the .company consists of 10 women, although men have been involved in the past. Rather than a precision dance group, Impact Dance concentrates on performance. "Playing to our audience is our spe- cialty," Kraft said. "All of the girls are wonderful dancers, but they all have different strengths, so we try to show- case those strengths and work individ- ually and as a team." Being a student-run group is excit- ing because the dancers are complete- Brewer and Jamie Register. way to deliver when playing live, a ten- dency that has allowed them to build up a considerable local buzz, despite the small number of actual shows that they've played. Cloud 9 places an emphasis on entertainment and positive energy, qualities that are reflected not only in the live format, but in the very philosophy of the band itself. "Too much hip-hop these days is about anger,"said Register. "We're about hap- piness and feeling good. We don't talk about guns. We don't want to flaunt the diamond rings, Rolexes or big-booty girls either. We just want the up-vibes." While the majority of Cloud Nine's music may consist of the "up-vibes," it does have its serious side, too. Register and co-MC/keyboardist Ryan Stroko use a narrative method of lyric delivery and many of their songs are constructed around stories. "We write all of our lyrics out. We want to avoid being too io-makes Courtesy of Steve Gertz Cloud Nine is Mike Blank, Donny Osbourne, Ryan Stroko, Gabe Craft, Justin By Jim Schiff Daily Arts Writer The University Musical Society welcomes world-famous German violinist Christian Tetzlaff to Ann Arbor this Sunday. At age 32, he has emerged as one of the most accomplished and internationally recognized violinists in the lastten years. Tetzlaff's performance marks the second UMS concert commemorat- freestyle - that can get a little repete- tive" said Stroko. Some of the tracks contain deeply personal connections. Register describes the structure of one such song, "Hold the Note""The song" is about a girl who watches her mom go through all these abusive relationships. (The song) builds as the story builds, until she can't take it anymore." What really distinguishes Cloud Nine from its contemporaries is its rare ability to conjure a sense of gen- uine substance. The band has, perhaps accidentally, stumbled upon a truly authentic recipe for funk, hip-hop, soul and whatever else, thus placing them in that great Michigan tradition of George Clinton and, before him, the Motown acts. With so many Michigan bands searching endlessly for the almighty groove and coming up empty-handed, it's nice to see that someone has finally found it. Impat Impact Dance will be better than years past. "Every year the company goes through a little growth spurt," Kraft said. "This year that growth was even larger than in years past ... we will be better prepared at the show time and deliver an even better performance." In the past, the guest performance has been a vocal or musical group. This year, Comedy Company will per- form, and Kraft thinks this will "make for a fun twist on the traditional show:' The audience should also expect to see the performers having a great time. The technical aspects will be there, but the energy and expression will shine through. Kraft said, "We dance because we love it, and that really comes across to the audience when we are on stage." Christian Tetzlaff St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Sunday at 8 p.m. ing the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebast- ian Bach. In particular, he will be playing "Partita No. 2 in D. minor," "Sonata No. 3 in C Major," and "Sonata No. 2 in A minor," all com- posed in 1720. said, "His music I I I I Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under Walter Levine. With a performance of Schoen- berg's violin concert with the. Munich Philharmonic, Tetzlaff was catapulted to international fame. He has garnered a reputation for select- ing difficult and less-frequently played pieces of music by Schu- mann and Bart6k. Tetzlaff said, "I like to play all the good violin music there is - even if people don't normally listen to some of the composers." As a soloist, Tetzlaff's remarkable, ability has allowed him to collabo rate with artists such as Sabine Meyer and Yo-Yo Ma. Conductors from all over the world invite him to play with their symphonies. Over the years, he has gained a consider- able audience. "I get a good feeling playing as a soloist," Tetzlaff said. "I love that I can do interesting things and still get people to listen." With eight albums for Virgin Classics, Tetzlaff is equally success- ful as a recording artist. The New York Times described his 1 995 recording of Bach's complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Vio- lin, "an altogether breathtaking release." His most recent recording features Mozart's complete works for violin and orchestra. Armed with his trusty violin, Christian Tetzlaff is known to play with an intense passion that is rivaled by few. As in the past, he is sure to dazzle the audience with his astounding talent, bringing the works of Bach to life. On Bach, Tetzlaff L w touches me profoundly. It has an easy way to my heart and a lot of people's hearts." Born in Hamburg in 1966, Tet- zlaff started playing violin at an early age. At 14 he made his con- cert debut with a Hamburg youth orchestra, performing the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Four years later, as the youngest competi- tor, he won the International Com- petition ARD in Munich. Additionally, he has studied at the aa Impact Dance Mendelssohn Theatre Feb.18-19 at 8 p.m. show consists of several different styles of dance, including lyrical, pointe, tap and jazz, and will be performed to modern-day pop- ular music. Co- chair Becky Kraft said she thinks that with the popular music, the pro- duction will be ly responsible for the choreography of the show. "The show ends up having such wonderful variety and combines so many different ideas and disci- plines," Kraft said. This eclectic mix of choreography is rarely seen in dance performances, making Impact Dance interesting and, overall, more fun to watch. On top of the choreography, the dancers are also responsible for cos- tuming themselves and the publicity of the event. The production is entire- lv in the hands of the performers, which strengthens the bond between the girls. "We all realize that it will take all 10 of us to make the show a success, and so we work together," Kraft said. "There is a sense of sister- hood" The cast expects this production of YARDS Continued from Page 8 Yeah, that naked chick is pretty ran- dom (there's a reason this movie feels like a PG-13 but is stuck with an R rating). There's no crime in being nothing more than a diversion. It's not against the law for a movie that doesn't address any issues with a capital "I" to entertain. This is not brilliant cinema. But there's some- thing to be said for a movie that brings that involuntary smile to your face no matter how much you know it shouldn't. "The Whole Nine Yards" has absolutely nothing to it. It's appeal- ing on a base level. Lowest com- mon denominator. Everybody and Uncle Joe Bob down at the gas sta- tion, too. Go ahead, call me a Denny's-loving, Duster-driving sap.' I can take the hit. Or at least put one out on you. Looking for a Summe 'Job or Interhip? pr CGon io0 G * ~ot SU'~Og~oorS to AN C~lA 0 From PollieSto Com uteri 0 * From Working Securityto Handling Food From Camp Counselors to InternshipS 9 From Desk Jobs to Manual Labor 0 1 BOILER Continued from Page 5 apartment, motivates Seth to find a better job. Luckily, one of Seth's back-alley card game patrons lets him in on the secret of J.T. Marlin, a "chop shop" Long Island stock trading firm that is guaranteed to make him his first million within three years. It sounds pretty good and even respectable enough to please Seth's father. What Seth finds at J.T. Marlin, beside a parking lot full of Ferraris and Porsches - making his Volvo look insufficient - is a fraternity of rich, arrogant, Italian suit-wear- ing all-male idols. Seth gets taught the ropes and soon becomes one of the boys. Seth's transition into a JT. Marlin success is, luckily for the audience, mirrored by his use of hair gel to slick back his mane. By the time that Seth realizes that things at J.T. Marlin are a little less than kosher, he is a slicked back version of the other fast-talkers in the boiler room. Needless to say, there is corruption at the center of J.T. Marlin and it consumes Seth's e.. A study break of student readings & free coffee Where talking in the Library is encouraged... Come hear your peers read from their works. You'll hear stories, poems, memoirs, you name it. Each night will feature different writers. character. The characters that Ben Younger has created are flat and trite. The brokers at J.T. Marlin are one dimensional, stereotypic versions of the religious or ethnic group, that they are intended to represent.,; All of the brokers are similar, part * of which is intended, and uninter- esting. Seth's character, which Gio- vanni Ribisi plays well, is more complex than the others, yet its complexity is built on a completely contrived and ridiculous father-son ,relationship. Seth's father is disapproving an Seth desperately seeks his father'. approval (have you heard that one before'?). Their entire relationship is focused on an incident that haO pened when Seth was ten years old. Seth's father is solely concerned about making sure that Seth does not embarrass him or cost him h is judge-ship. Actually, the only time that Ron Rifkin changes his tone from his "Seth don't be stupid" voice is when Seth says that he is willing to go to jail in order to save his father's job. The whole rel tionship is stale. The film is good for rental or possibly even as a matinee but otl- erwise it is not worth the cost of the ticket. If you are intrigued by the riches and excitement of stock trading and investment banking read "Liar's Poker" you'll find out that the glamour is accompanied by a lot of long hours. Cafe Shapiro is free and open to everyone. Complimentary coffee will be served. Readings will begin at 8:30 pm in the Shapiro Library Building's atrium on each of the following dates: Sunday, February 20 Monday, February 21 CafSbapiro is sponsored by the University libmrty. Monday, February 21, 2000, 36pm Student Activities Building, Atrium UniversityActivities Center Friday, February 18th Saturday, February 19th 8PM MendeIssohn T hea " at theu Buy tickets at the Michigan UnionTicket Office or call 763.TKTS _t ? Color C alls! Col attention to the highlights of your reports Amazing full color copies with many options including reductions, enlargements, & spot color additions., i 11! _!L rJ..,.w:uwi! LiMIPlr Iwlr f. rr