8 - The Michigan Daly - Friday, October 22. 1999 .,... , ..s...,.. .) .. w. al ..... ..... _....... .._ ,,.. .... Taproot's dark pop style hits label success By Adlin Rosli Daily Arts Writer After two and a half years of struggling in the non-existent local heavy music scene, Ann Arbor's Taproot has finally struck gold. The group consists of Steve Richards on vocals, Mike DeWolf on guitar, Phillip Lipscomb on bass and Jared Montague on drums. Word of mouth of the group's forceful music travelled far and wide across the United States thanks to the Internet and endless circulation of demo CDs. Inevitably, the music reached the ears of the folks at Velvet Hammer Management, System Of A Down's man- agement company, who promptly took Taproot under it's wing and brought the group to the attention of most Taproot of the industry's major labels. The group has since been Blind Pig continuously invited to play Tomorrow at 10 p.m. showcase performances in New York and Los Angeles for major labels. "'The vibe when you play a showcase is weird," Richards said. "We only play for a handful of record label people in a rehearsal studio they rented and they are stand- ing two feet away from you." Despite the rather ominous circumstances sur- rounding such showcases, being the center of attention for major label courtship has its perks. "We get flown to wherever we have to play, put up in hotels and fed all on the expense of whoever is interested in us," Richards said. "Except that time when we were in New York. We had to pay for our own cab fare and man, it was expensive!" inter- jected guitarist DeWolf. The group was actually one time wooed by Limp ichards and Mike DeWolf have finally struck gold with their band Taproot. Bizkit's front man, Fred Durst (who is coinciden- tally a member of Interscope Records' A&R divi- sion). Durst's interest in the group however, was never too concrete. It was not until Velvet Hammer Management showed its strong interest in Taproot that Durst began scrambling to have the band sign to Interscope. "The contract we got from Durst was fair, but at that point we were starting to get the attention of other labels. So it was only natural that we wanted to look at what other options we had," Richards said. Durst did not take too kindly to this, and pro- ceeded to go on the offensive towards Taproot and Velvet Hammer. In a fit of rage, he left a vulgar and irate message on Richard's answering machine ending his relationship with the band. Dust also slapped Velvet Hammer Management in the face by kicking System. Of A Down off this year's Family Values Tour. "All ties with Fred have been severed," confirmed Richards. Taproot's music has undergone tremendous growth from its humble beginnings as a rap-core outfit. Richards has increasingly sung more than rap and the group's music has embraced more melodic vet eerie nuances. Its music still remains heavy and chock-full of odd time changes, but these elements seem to flesh out a sound that is now more dark, melancholic pop than hip-hop meets metal. It is a wonder with all the major label attention that the group doesn't feel compelled to compro- mise its musical vision a little. Richards said,"We don't feel any need to do anything like that and we're happy doing what we do.We don't want to be associated with just the rap-core scene." With all the promising events presently occur- ring in Taproot's camp, it is almost certain that the group could very well follow the footsteps of for- bears like Madonna. Ted Kaczynski and James Earl Jones as famous former Ann Arborites. The University of Michigan SCHOOL OF Music WIND ENSEMBLE/PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE/ JAZZ ENSEMBLE Friday, October 22, 8:00pm Rackham Auditorium The Wind Ensembles conducted by H. Robert Reynolds & James R. Tapia, the Percussion Ensemble conducted by Michael Gould and the Jazz Ensemble directed by Ellen Rowe joit forces to offer an enjoyable evening of music! The Percussion Ensemble will play the music of Sweden and Cuba featuring Anders Astrand. Also featured will be dance students from the studio of Sandra De Young. (Note: percussion ensemble will not be performing at Britton Hall as originally scheduled this evening.) BRAVE NEW WORKS: WILLIAM ALBRIGHT MEMORIAL CONCERT Saturday, October 23, 8:00pm Britton Recital Hall, E.. Moore Bldg. Program includes: Ttke that (work for 4 percussionists), " Shadow (Eight serenades for solo guitar), " Abiding Passions (Woodwind Quintet), " Sonataafor Alto Sax and Piano. CONCERT BAND Sunday, October 24, 4:00pm Hill Auditorium James R. Tapia, Conductor / Matthew O. Smith, Guest Conduc- tor / J. Eric Wilson, Guest Conductor * Rocky Point Holiday, Ron Nelson " Fantasia in G Major, Johann Sebastian Bach " Psalttfor Band, Vincent Persichetti * Syitphottic Dance No. 3 "Fiesta," Clifton Williams Sytphtonic Songsforr Band, Robert Russell Bennett " Chorale and Alleluia, Howard Hanson " Symphonyfor Band, Morton Gould., MICHIGAN CHAMBER PLAYER Sunday, October 24, 4:00pm Rackham Auditorium Richard Beene, Anthony Elliott, Sren Hermansson, Andrew Jennings, Paul Kantor, Martin Katz, Fred Ormand, Amy Porter, Melody Racine, Stuart Sankey, Yizhak Schotten, Hong-Mei Ziao " Four Pirecesfor Clarite attd Piatto, Op. 5, Berg Songs, Webern * Vrklaerte Nacht, Op. 4, Schoenberg " Nnet, Rheinberger. CREATIVE ARTS ORCHESTRA Tuesday, October 26, 8:00pm 1320 Rehearsal Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg. Ed Sarath, Director. UNIVERSITY CHOIR Tuesday, October 26, 8:00pm Hill Auditorium Theodore Morrison, Conductor: " Te Detmt in C Major, Britten, " O magnut tystriu, Luis de Victoria " Jubilate Deo, Britten S0 qtuat gloriosut, Luis de Victoria " Kyrie eleison/Sing for Joy (Psalt 84), Morrison " The Silver Swtan, Tilley " Mountains/ Woodpecker, Chatman"e Three Scottish Folksongs, Wilberg. OCTUBAFEST Thursday, October 28, 8:00pm Britton Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg. U of M Euphonium/Tuba Ensemble Concert Fritz Kaenzig, Director. * Light Cavalry Overture, von Suppe " Ave Maria, Territo * Geographical Fugue, Toch " Meltdowtt, Sass " The Thunderer, Sousa * Fugue in g inor, Bach " Elite Syncopations, Joplin e Adagio, Stevens " Picutres at ant Exhibition, Mussorgsky. MIDWEST COMPOSERS' SYMPOSIUM Friday, October 29, 8:00pm Britton Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg. Saturday, October 30th McIntosh Theatre, E.V. Moore Bldg., 10:00am Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg., 2:00pm Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg., 4:00pm Rackham Auditorium, 8:00pm The University of Michigan hosts the 1999 Midwest Composers' Symposium, a two-day festival featuring new works by student composers from five midwestern universities. The five concerts include works for various instrumental ensembles and electronica. Contact Stephanie Johnson at 913-0125 for more info, GUEST CONCERT: ARCHIGLAS, RUSSIAN CHORAL GROUP FROM ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA Friday, October 29, 7:00pm Blanche Anderson Moore Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg. An a cappella mixture of Russian folk and Orthodox music. Events are free and wheelchair accessible unless otherwise specified. The E.V. Moore Bldg. (main School of Music Bldg.) and the Stearns Bldg. are located on Baits Dr., North Campus (US 23 to Plymouth Rd., Plymouth to Broadway, Broadway to Baits). For More info, phone (734)936-2214 or visit the web page at www.musicumich.edu i 'Blue' views environme "Go Blue" Jack Beam Face to Face Books "Mom, is Dad ever going to finish the book about the blue boobs?," Jack Beatmjovially quoted his son, recalling a bit of personal history in the writ- ing of his irreverent new novel, "Go Blue," a semi-autobiographical environ- mental thriller set in West Michigan. The work evolved from "Go Blue Nipples and Other Pop Songs" to its present title in much the same way Beam himself matured from a kind of socially awkward college kid to a fed up and enlightened lawyer. "Being radicalized has taken a long time for me because I grew up so con- servatively. I was very naive," Beam said. "I grew up in Grand Rapids, in a very Christian Reform neighborhood and really missed out on a lot of things. I am probably one of the few people in America that understood when Clinton said he didn't inhale. I wanted to inhale, but just couldn't get it out of my head that it was bad. So I managed to avoid the tear gas in Ann Arbor. But I also missed out on a lot of sex, though I lived through the sexual revolution. It was like watching from the sidelines" "I went to Michigan back in the crazy days, from '67 to '71, but I was polit- ically very conservative. It wasn't until I went to law school that I realized what was really going on in this country. Coming from Grand Rapids where everything was red, white, and blue, I really woke up when I got away." Elaborating, he said, "I'm just so disgusted with the American legal system right now, mostly with insurance lawyers. I've learned that law is not a force for change, but a force for the status quo." And a lot of Beam's disgust comes through in "Go Blue." "The judiciary system is just awful. If the NFL refs were as biased and unqualified as most of our judges, we'd be having riots almost every Sunday that a game is played." But Beam is also concerned with the preservation of the Great Lakes, and that comes through wonderfully in the novel. "I see the Great Lakes as these feminine, life-giving creatures. They're beautiful. The character Laura, a musician, is the embodiment of the Great Lakes. We have this beautiful crea- Berlin Philharmonio performs Beethoven By Kate MacEwen in" techntque, but along with that For the Daily had much emotion in his conducting Not since 1965 has the world- style. Both pieces performed were renowned Berlin Philharmonic rhythmically perfect, but not lacki graced Ann Arbor with its presence, in emotion or depth, mainly du After 34 vears, a stunning perfor- Abbado's excellent mix of technique mance as part of their four-stop US and style. tour compensated for their long The entire orchestra illustrated absence. why it is one of the best in the word. Conductor Claudio Abbado led The orchestra achieved a perfect ial- the orchestra by memory in an'e of loud and soft that only a B eet h ove n 's highly rated ensemble could achieve "Symphony perfectly. Number 4 in B- The only part of the concert t at Flat Major, proved to be disappointing was the Berlin Opus 60 " and program selection. The Beethov Philharmonic Schoenberg's was an excellent way to open "Pelleas and concert, a beautiful and classie M ei i s a n d e piece. Hill Auditorium S y m p h o n i c The Schoenberg, however, did not 0t. 20,1999 Poem for flow as well as a composer of an*- " Orchestra, Opus cr era. Compared to the Beethoven 5 " Excellent the piece lacked form and was too performers com- modern. Hearing the orchestra p- bined with a form something along the lines of world class Tchaikovsky or Verdi would have director created completed a near perfect evening an evening full of incredible music, The Schoenberg, while'perfortn illustrating that producing quailty flawlessly, lacked the form and per- music does not necessitate the use of haps some of the emotion from the a conductor's score. previous piece. Another disappoint- The ensemble's teamwork showed ment from the concert was that there in the sound produced. As the first was no encore performed. The notes of Beethoven's Fourth orchestra is only in the country for Symphony filled the quiet auditori- four performances this year, and um, a sense of awe could almost be hearing only two pieces perhaps left felt in the audience. listeners wanting more. The music cut through the silence When the Berlin Philharmonic with a sound the composer must travels to the United States, takio have desired long ago in his compo- the advantage of the opportunity jo sition of the piece. hear them play is definitely worth Abbado had both perfect conduct- while ntal issue with humor ture that isn't appreciated and her boyfriend, Rick, the music producer, is out looking for a rock star that can propel his career, but it's right in his back- yard." Beam effectively links this idea of sexuality and the life-giving q*- ty of women to environmentalism in "Go Blue." That's where the original "blue nipple" idea originated. "I deal with the issue of water with irreverent tones, but it really is a pret- ty damn serious issue. Water willebe to she next century wha oil was to this century and I couldn't have written this book while in Michigan. It tookme moving to Colorado to really appreciate what Michigan had and to see the waste." The novel centers on a southwestern company's scheme to drain the Great Lakes so they can create a kind of paradise down there. "They're try- ing to blanket the whole southwest with green lawns and sprinklers," he said with a tone of urgency. "People out west have got their eyes on the prize. They've got this inca ible lifestylewhere the sun always shines. But that brings with it the dryn . Now they're trying to take the green and transplant it to the southwest where it never rains. And I think it's going to come to roost in our lifetime." "This book deserves to get out. Even though i's in a non-serious form, I find it easier to get to people with humor and sarcasm, rather than preach- ing." But Beam soon takes a turn to the serious. "Have you ever stopped to think about why the right-wing republicans are so anti-environment? There is an interesting phenomenon in this country, that the right-wing religious fundamentalists, albeit a minority, are very vocal. Jerry Ford couldn't get the nomination for the Republican Party tky because he is pro-choice, and pro-environment. The religious couldn't less whether the Great Lakes get sold or pissed in." "Have you ever seen a right-wing religious fundamentalist, in polities or anywhere else, out there advocating birth-control, clean water, or conserva- tive land use? They don't do anything to stop urban sprawl. Have you ever seen one? Never." "I think we need to deal with things going on in this world, and we need to do it now. The environmental issue is the most important thing we're facing," Beam concluded. And Beam puts forth this type of fervent sentiment fantas- tically in "Go Blue." - Josh Wikerham SHOTS' effective anyway because it works g many levels. First you have liquor shots, Continued from Page 5 then you have the camera shot, meaning The characters in "Body Shots" are that you're watching a movie. Finally, based on real people and true events you have the active 'shot'-the abusive known to screenwriter David McKee. punch or hitting," Cristofer said. "They were based on several incidents "If there is a message, it's something with friends of his," Cristofer said, about why sex doesn't always lead to including the rape that figures in the intimacy," Cristofer said. film. "This film is not pretty. It's not nice," The movie's title, originally called Cristofer said. "It's going to make Eo- "Jello Shots," had to be changed due to pie question themselves. I think iWWI a legal conflict. "Because it was brand have an effect on audiences. They might name, we couldn't use it," Cristofer not like it:' said. "It's not smart to make this kind of "But I think 'Body Shots' is more film in Hollywood," Cristofer said L N I ' I Co LAS i.. i II I ' :: U OF M OFFICE OF MAJ f i T r OR EVENTS PRESENTS STARTS TODAY QUALITY.1 HWAECEA 2--83-7 4100 CARPENTER RD. ANN ARBOR [ AL"DOLBY 74.93.880 I4& South State 769-8780 'o