Wallflowers
Steve Chbosky reads from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." A
screening of the author's film, "Four Corners of Nowhere.'
follows. Borders Books & Music and State Theater, 7:30 p.m.
I~ £icl gan t*
IRT
Tomorrow in Daily Arts:
U Weekend, etc. Magazine examines the impor ance of
money: How to get it, how to spend it and how to keep it
8
Wednesday
October 20, 1999
Berlin Philharmonic to perform at Hill
By Curtis Zimmermann
lail Arts Writer
The acoustics of Hill Auditorium will be put to
the test tonight when The Berlin Philharmonic
.7
Berlin
Philharmonic
Orchestra
,"1 Auditorium
Tonight at 8
Orchestra goraces its stage
for the first time since
1965. Ann Arbor is one of
the few stops the ensemble,
which is considered one of
the finest in the world, will
make in the United States
this year.
The Orchestra's history
in this town has not always
been a pleasant one. In
1955, many student groups
called for a boycott of their
performance at Hill
because of still-lingering
anti-German sentiments on campus, and in the
United States following the second World War.
The group was founded by 50 musicians in
Berlin in 1882 who left their own orchestra
because they were dissatisfied with their conduc-
tor:s dictator-like methods of control. The orches-
tra struggled through the early years, but began to
grow towards the end of the 19th Century and
saw great composers like Tchaikovsky, Malher
and Strauss perform as guest conductors.
In the 20th Century, the orchestra has been
fronted by numerous masters including Arthur
Nikisch, Wilhem Furtwsngler and Herbert von
Karajan. Beyond his influence as conductor, one
of Karajan's main achievements was the found-
ing of the Berlin Philharmonic Academy in 1972.
Since then, the school has educated young pro-
fessional musicians in the rigors of musical life
in the symphony.
In 1989. Claudio Abaddo egin w ieldi the
orchestra's baton. Abaddo made his musical debut
in 1960 at the Theatro alla Scalla in his home town
of Milan, halv. In 1968. he was appointed musi-
cal director of that ensemble. ie has held that
post for other groups as well including the Vienna
Philharmonic, the Vienna State Opera, and the
London Symphony Orchestra. For his endeavors,
he has garnered numerous honorarwdegrees and
many national awards throughout Europe.
Another of the ensemble's achiewments has
been in the realm of recorded music. From
behind the sales desk of SKR Classical on
Liberty St. in Ann Arbor, owner Jim Leonard dis-
cussed with great zeal some of the orchestras
recording masterpieces. During World War I1 at
the peak of the Nazi's dominance, the Orchestra
with Furtwiingler as conductor recorded
Beethoven's Ninth Sy mphony in Berlin. Leonard
said, it is one of the "greatest performances of
anything ever made." And it was on the subject of
the group's present conductor that Leonard stated
with little hesitation, "Abaddo is the greatest liv-
ing, working conductor."
Tonight, the first piece will be Beethoven's
Fourth Symphony in B-Flat Major, a piece com-
posed in 1805. The second will be Schoenburg's
"Pelleas and Melisande" a tone poem based on
Maurice Masterlink's 1893 drama. This work
requires an orchestra of over 100 and has never
been performed in Ann Arbor.
The University Musical Society is dubbinic
this event "the concert event of the century."
Such a label is highly debatable, but with such an
alluring program with a legendarv conductor at
the podium, tonight's world-class orchestral per-
formance is indeed a highlight of this year's courtesyofrss sc
UMS schedule. Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic,
Ingenious 'Sense'
recalls '80s rockers
Pilfers look
to elevate
oska music
WytlisZimmermann
IArts Writer
''sifying The Pilfers is every musicologists night-
maie. Anyone willing to try should check out their
show "Sunday evening when they open for The
Pietasters at St Andrews Hall in Detroit.
Forack of a better label, the group is usually lumped
into t'e category of third wave ska. They combine tra-
ditional Caribbean rhythms and horn arrangements
with elements of metal, hard-core and rap. What also
separates the Pilfeirs from many of their third wave
counterparts is the band's musi-
/ cal message, "Elevate your mind,
body and soul"
The Coolie Ranx, the Pilfers' lead
The singer, reiterated this theme and
Pilfers related it to his own life in a
St. Andrews Hall recent interview.
Sunday at 7 p.m. "I just think about what I know
and what I feel and that is eleva-
tion," he said.
Ranx was reluctant to catego-
rize his music. "I wouldn't know
where to start," lie explained.
"We go from anywhere to any-
where at any given time. We just
a4play whatever it sounds like and
what we sound like, there is no formula and no
bou daries. If it feels right than we're going to play it."
Each of The Pilfers five members adds a distinctive
e ctt to their sound. Ranx, former front man for The
Toasters, has a singing style that blends traditional
Jamaican toasting, which is similar to rap, with the per-
formance energy of contemporary hip hop. The band
also features trombonist Vinny Nobile, who shares
vocal and lyric writing responsibilities with Ranx.
Formerly of Bim Skala Bim, Nobile made a name for
himself by providing the horns for two tracks on the
first Suicide Machines album, "Destruction By
Definition." Bass player Anna Milat and drummer
James Blanck constantly churn out variations on old
By Erin Podolsky
Daily Arts Writer
During the 1980s, the new wave
band the Talking Heads leapt from
anonymity to sell-out arena crowds
under the leadership of geek poster-
boy David Byrne and his merry band
of musiemakers. Their shows weren't
so much staged pageants as well-
crafted jam sessions, with Byrne act-
ing the jester for the crowds.
In 1984, the Talking Heads teamed
with pre-Oscar director Jonathan
Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs")
and cinematographer Jordan
Courtesy of Mojo Records
The Pilfers bring a combination of ska, metal and rap to St. Andrews Hall.
Stop
Making'
Sense
At Michigan Theater
style Caribbean rhythms with fusions of funk and rock
laying a solid foundation for the music. Also in this mix
is guitarist Nick Bacon, who effortlessly shifts from
intense bone-crushing riffs to soft romantic two-tone
ska melodies. It is this intense mix that helped push The
Pilfers to the forefront of the underground ska scene.
The Pilfers now stand at an interesting crossroads in
their musical existence. Given the nature of the group's
success as independent artists, they might not be an
unknown commodity for very long. That is one proba-
ble result of the recent release of "Chawlaleng" on
Mojo Records, a division of Universal Music. Prior to
the bands singing with Mojo, they were self promoting
their first CD "Jan 01/12:00/98" which sold more than
10, 000 copies despite being only available at their
shows and on their Web Site, wwwpi/A'r.com.
Ranx discussed the band's recent shift, and explained
how it won't intervene with the group's musical direc-
tion. "We play what we want to play," he said. "It has
nothing to do with the record label. The record label
can sav 'Oh we like that song,' and we say, 'that's cool.
but were not doing that again."'
As a result of their deal with Mojo, The Pilfers are
being exposed to the promotional aspect of the music
industry. "The easiest part about being a musician is
just going up on the stage and singing, but in the busi-
ness end you do have to promote yourself," Ranx said.
Fellow Mojo Records artists The Cherry Poppin'
Daddies and Reel Big Fish have enjoyed considerable
mainstream success since their albums' migration to the
Mojo label. This was spearheaded by constant radio
play and the popularity of their music videos. Ranx
appears to understand the implications of this, but
pointed out, "I'm not a video dude, I'm not that guy. I
dread that part of it. But I'm sure there will be a video,
because that's what comes along with the territory." His
main concern is how the view of the music will change
with the introduction of the visual media.
"I don't want to be shown in the wrong light," he
said. "A lot of my songs are romantic, well some of
them are, and I don't know what their going to do." He
added, somewhat humorously "No chicks with thongs.
Well, maybe one for me.
Beyond all the changes the Pilfers are still a group
whose live shows have helped propel their career.
This Sunday would be the perfect time to check out
the band "before they were stars" and see just how far
they'll elevate their music.
C' r o n e n w e t h
( " B I a d e
Runner") to
make a concert
film that, unlike
so many concert
films, actually
gives the viewer
the sense that
they're at the
concert rather
than just watch-
ing a showy,
M T V - s t I e
movie. That's
quite an achieve-
such as, say,
The format of the show is ingenious
as well. The members of the band
arrive on stage one by one, not reach-.
ing full strength until mid-set when aU
nine players are under the lights
pumping out a rollicking, get-up-out:
of-your-chair-and-dance version of
"Burning Down the House." Bvrnc
comes out first, pulls out his guitar
and sets down a boombox. He looks
almost timid when he breaks into
"Psycho Killer." By the show's end, as
the band reaches ecstatic heights dur
ing "Take Me to the River," all of that
caution and strangeness is gone. Okay,
maybe not the strangeness; Byrne fin-
ishes out the show lost at sea within a
giant suit, his already strange, lian
body made even more fantastica1i\
extreme, bobbing like a bird for feed.
That suit and Cronenweth's lighting
effects make "Stop Making Sense" a
thoroughly entertaining and success-
ful marriage of film and music. The
elements of the Talking Heads pcrfor*
mance and of Byrne's antics in partic-
ular are fully realized by the different
perspectives provided by the eight
cameras used in production. The
results are spellbinding to both eyes
and ears.
The Talking Heads broke up long
ago, but this week you have the
opportunity to experience them
(almost) first-hand, and at a greatl,
reduced price compared to today
insanely inflated concert prices (and'
let's not forget the missing
Ticketbastard surcharge). "Stop'
Making Sense" is 90 minutes of pure
sensory bliss; now it's been digitally
remastered and, I assume, sounds betr
ter than ever. I assume because I was
still watching "He-Man" and weariri
Underoos when the movie first cAM°
out. But I assure you it's just as fr!'
as it must have been 15 years ago. fW
girl with the latest from Nine In
Nails and the Chemical Broth
playing in her stereo as she writes tfi
can love a trip down music memo
lane, so can you.
mient, as movie
Madonna's "Truth or Dare" often are
resounding failures. It might not
sound too interesting to our cut-cut-
cut-addled brains, but rest assured that
"Stop Making Sense" lives up to its
pedigree and then some.
In fact, the camerawork of "Stop
Making Sense," the Talking Heads'
collaboration with Demme, is what
recommends it even above and
beyond the aural pleasures contained
within. It's like being 10 feet tall at a
concert when you're stuck in the pit -
a perfect vantage point from every
angle. And in a lot of ways, the audi-
ence around you in the theater is more
like the crowd at the concert than the
film's concert crowd itself, who rarely
intrude on the performance until the
end thanks to Demme's direction.
Read the Daily online!
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