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! www.michigandaity.com E YOU CAME 10 COLLEGE WITH A LOT OF STUFF. T6lebrateg our Cccompl tents..4 t hNFORTUNA ACNE ;AME ALON Some people simply don't THE TELY, G FOR RIDE. C "grow out" of their acne. It remains well into their twenties. Sometimes longer. Truth is, it's a medical condition. Right now, if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 35 and have moderate to severe acne, Em "PI .w