r .. - .u My Buddy and me... Chicago Blues master Buddy Guy comes to the Michigan Theater Saturday for a blazing eleetric set. 7:30 p.m. $26-36. michigandaily.com /arts iRTS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2001 8x., Harmer provides a fun and refreshingly unpolished show 'Monkeybone' lives up to name' By Chris Cousino 1aily Arts Writer Brendan Fraser is a plays an idiot (see B Shelia McClear Daily Arts Writer Canadian folk-pop musician Sarah Hatr'ier entertained a small audience at the'Ark last Sunday, introducing every- oit into her world of back porch guitar sftnftitning, life on the road and heart- breaks both large and small. The former singer of Canadian band Sarah Weeping Tile is Harmer currently on tour The Ark in support of her February 18, 2001 first solo album, You Were Here. Previously, she released a record that was "record- '< < ed on my back porch a couple of summers ago" called "Songs for Clem," that consisted strictly of covers of hgrfather's favorite folk and country songs' Those suspicious of the dreaded "women in music" tag need not be wary: We're dealing with an actual musiwfan here, not Jewei, the patron saint of Girl Music. Harmer is an expe- rienced performer whose songs are both smart-alecky and powerful. While at times her jangly-pop inclination and ot6:sional too-cute lyrics leaves one loging for a sound with more roots and less Lilith, Harmer is nevertheless capti- yting. Gathered at the listening room was a snall but enthusiastic crowd, built most- ly by word of mouth. Actually, "enthusi- stic" would be an understatement -- tliC'indience, comprised of folks both 96"iig* and old, was nearly foaming at t ,mouth with excitement. A group of six bragged that they had driven all the way from Indiana to see the show. t V tfching Harmer and her backing batd is a little like sitting in your living room'watching close friends jam. She is engaging, quirky, and filled with a flus- tered humor, "I always forget if this song starts in C or D ... um, hang on a minute." Although Harmer is obviously a sea- soned performer, her performances are refreshingly unpolished. The lyrics are nratter-of-fact, treating all the subjects - from songs about feeling lost in the crowd to a bluesynumber about an abandoned houseplant -- with equal seriousness. Hanner's hour-and-a-half set was filled with the songs from her new album and heavily supplemented by covers. The amount of cover songs makes sense considering the material from her first album was classic folk and country music. Unfortunately, after hearing the music from You Were Here, the listener doesn't really want to hear a Nancy Griffith song - they want to hear what else Harmer is capable of. However, recognition of other artists' music is one defining feature of the cul- ture of folk music, and Harmer chose excellent music. And of course, in the tradition of every self-respecting Canadian folkie, a Neil Young song was dutifully covered. "Around This Corner," spoke of see- ing a potential lover on the street and deciding to "cover my heart so that you can't hear it beat." "Basement Apt.," which Harmer herself describes as the most commercial song on the album, is guilty, Matchbox Twenty-style fun. You Were Here revealed the tendency of Harmer's music to drag out a bit, but for the most part the set remained upbeat. It must be noted that Harmer's music performed live is much more fun than the canned sound of her album, which failed to capture all the nuances and inti- macy of her work. The bottom line is that no matter what one thinks of the sound of mainstream pop-tinged "folk" music, both the enthusiastic and the wary enjoyed Harmer's set. Harmer is so interesting to watch because her audience feels that she is just like them, or someone they know well. It is this perception of famil- iarity that has earned her such an enthu- siastic following, and Harmer's greatest gift is her ability to unabashedly draw the listener into her world. Monkeybone Grade: C At Quality 16! V it his best when he "Encino Man," "George of the Jungle"). In his latest film, "Monkeybone," he screams and bellows, hops on counters and stamps his feet, vet does he tickle our funny - I'll spare you the bad wordplay. Directed by Henry Selick television with his cartoon "Monkeybone," animator Stu Miley (Fraser) gets involved in a car crash with his girlfriend Julie (Bridget Fonda) and falls into a coma. Be fore-warned, this is no ordinary coma as this is no ordinary film. Miley rides the roller coaster ride from hell into this awesome, dynamic set piece known as Downtown, otherwise know as the inner consciousness. Quickly, Miley sees all of his thoughts and artistic visions come to life, from a three-headed devil to a giant-eyed Cyclops, an oversized pig or a sexy, sultry Kitty (Rose McGowan). Selick employs puppetry, costuming, computer and stop-motion animation to what should be a dazzling effect. And at first, it is. But quickly, all the costumes and oddball, quirky images just melt into what they really are: set dressing. Selick fails to compose the world that is Downtown; we never get the sense that there is just more around the bend. "Monkeybone" doesn't allow itself time to grow in this world, as the film (and Miley) are so concerned with get- ting out. Miley just wants to see Jplj one last time, so he can propose to:hr and tell her that he loves her. Wher he comes face to face with his animation. character Monkeybone, a wise-cracking, annoying primate voiced by John Turturro, the two team up and steal, an exit pass from Death (oh God, look - it's Whoopi Goldberg). Sure enough, the simian takes the pass, enters into Miley's body in the real,. world and starts a whole lot of monkey. trouble. Will Miley get out in time to. stop Monkeybone? Will he mariy his. one true love? Will Brendan Fraser hav- a cameo as Ape Guard Number Two in "Planet of the Apes"? "Monkeybone" is all over the map i terms of humor and story, at times, itl wants to be a slapstick children's come.- dy; at times, it aims for more sexually. toned humor. "Monkeybone" shows, signs its been edited several times over as it lacks consistency in its pacing ant tone. It's a kids' film, it's an adult conme- dy, it's fantasy, it's a fart joke, it's a wlholq barrel of monkeys. ("The Nightmare Before Christmas," "James and the Giant Peach") and writ- ten by Sam Hamm ("Batman"), "Monkeybone" is a comedy that draws much influence from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and the Jim Henson- inspired puppetry of fantasy flicks from the '80s. On the eve of his break onto Courtesy of 20th Century Fox A cute monkey doesn't help make this movie any better. 'Life' casts cloud on glamour of Garland Melissa Gollob Daily Arts Writer Somewhere over the rainbow Judy Garland still flies. Her career did not begin in Oz or Kansas, but in the ruthless city of Hollywood during its heyday, but Garland will forever be a star. The newest mini series about the Fnw ead life of Judy Garland, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Life with Judy Shadows," takes an introspective Garland: Me and look at her faults and fears My ShWdOWS through the eyes of her second ABC daughter Lorna Luft. Based on Sunday & Monday the best-selling book of the same at 9 p.m. name, Lorna narrates the life of .. her famous mother and tries to portray her as a human being instead of an American legend. Because of her incredible voice, Judy signed with MGM when she was twelve and the stu- dio began to mold her into a star. They gave her the first taste of addiction when they provided her with uppers to combat her lack of energy due to starving herself to lose unwanted weight. After keeping her confined to the radio and forcing her to work constantly, she finally began to act in films with her buddy Mickey Rooney. The series makes evi- dent the fact that the studio owned its stars and screwed them whenever it was profitable. The series tends to focuses on Judy's (Judy Davis, "Husbands and Wives") relationship with all the men in her life. They always seem to disappoint her and not love her enough. Her abandonment issues reinforce them- selves again and again while the pressures to live up to her Dorothy image lead to her to a dependency on pills. Judy marries Vincente Minnelli (Hugh Laurie, "Stuart Little") to move away from her overbearing and over ambitious mother. She loves him deeply but because Minnelli is gay, Judy does not receive the atten- tion she desires from him. She divorces him and soon after meets her next husband Sid Luft (Victor Garber, "Annie"). They go on to produce another classic film, "A Star is Born," and two children. After several rejec- tions, she goes through very violent mood swings, which takes a serious toll on her marriage and career. They end up in debt and the washed up Garland must go back to work on stage to support her family. For her comeback, she performs at Carnegie Hall. The performance changed her life as she proved herself to be a star and not a has-been. Judy was only comfort- able on stage in the spotlight gathering applause. She cares for her children well but her dependency is too much to handle and forces Lorna to be the mother fig- ure to both her brother Joe and her mother. At the end of her life, without anyone to take the time to administer her pills to her, she gets up in the middle of the night and overdoses in the bathroom at age 47. The series has very emotional scenes that make the story extremely powerful. The use of real recordings with Judy Garland's voice transports part of Judy Garland herself into the story. However, the lip-syncing of the words is done poorly and does take some of the effect away. Since there are no images of the real Judy Garland in the mini-series, all the movie scenes were taped with the actors. The scenes seem to come directly from the films, almost identical to the original. The 9 S wy+.. .s y' . M 5 Courtesy of ABC Judy Davis exposes the dramatic life of Judy Garland. young Judy (Tammy Blanchard) looks uncannily simi- lar in both "The Wizard of Oz" and "Meet Me in St. Louis." The acting is overly dramatic at times but so wad Garland's own personality. Davis understands and clear- ly thought out how to portray such a complicated per- -son. The switching of actresses from young Judy to adult Judy goes smooth and is hardly noticeable, while the progression from marriage to marriage seems abrupt and hurried. This true story provides a candid look into the entire life of a star, who gave all she had for. applause. Strangefolk embraces storytelling, happy tunes Courtesy of Uni/Zoe Records Canadian singer Sarah Harmer has a powerful, engaging sound. Joshua Gross Daily Arts Writer The Michigan Daily: You have been described as storytellers, why do you feel Live music, great food, and a visit to Ancient Egypt. It's Friday-it's what you've been waiting for all weekl March 2nd Its * Club Friday Music: Trademark (blues), 630-9:30 P.m. F " * FREE tour: Life in the Land of the Pharoahs, 6:45 P.M. * Lecture: Through Egyptian Eyes:A Fresh Look aThe British Museum's Ancient I Egyptian Masterpieces, 8 P.M. i419-2554 000 www.toedouseum.orq E - 24As Moroe Street Toledo OH 43620 Made possible by WFifthThird Bank Strangefolk have a unique talent. They get you out of your trangery2 k The Magic Stick February 20, 2001 seat. They get your feet stomping. They salvage those scraps of positive energy hiding among the wreck- age of a shitty day. They turn your proverbial frown upside down. On Tuesday night they shared they're music with a hun- dred or so cohorts in jubilance at it is important to tell stories in your songs.? Strangefolk: Because people can relate to stories. Stories are good. Linear pro- gression, its something people can follow. TMD: Do you feel that this role (story- teller) is absent from music today? SF: It doesn't seem if it's as prevalent as it was ... well actually, in rock 'n' roll, the storyteller has never seemed to be a strong force. I think in folk music the role is a little stronger. We don't have any problem with anything that paints an emo- tion or a picture, whether it's a linear story or not. But storytelling is disappearing a little bit, only folk music seems to be keeping it alive. I think that it is absent in most popular music. TMD: Where is everyone originally from and how have your roots influenced your music? SF: Luke is from D.C., John and Eric are from Maine, Patchen is from New York City, and Scott is from Oklahoma City. So that brings in influences from all over, except Maiae, where there's nothing influential at all. TMD: When I told some friends I was going to see Strangefolk, they kind of sneered and denounced the band as "hip- pie music" and "too happy." How do you respond to these common criticisms ? SF: I'd tell them to come listen, see if after that they think it's "happy hippie music." And why is there a bad connota- tion on the word "happy?" What's wrong with that? I never understood that, never, its like rock 'n' roll has to be angry or destructive somehow. I listen to the Beatles, and you smile when you listen to them, you just smile, and nobody has anything bad to say about them, no one say's they're too happy. TMD: What was the highpoint of the past month of touring? SF: All kinds of high points; we had some really nice pizza in Pittsburgh, sat by the fireplace in North Carolina, fire- places are good, that was a highpoint for sure. Really, any night that there's a good crowd and a fun little scene, and there _ b,- Detroit's Magic Stick. Right before their two-and-a-half-hour set, inside a sofa- strewn, homey backstage room, Strangefolk sat down to discuss the curse of happy hippies, the lost art of story- telling and why you smile when you lis- ten to the Beatles. have been a lot of those TMD: If you had to sacrifice storyr telling for musicianship or vice versa. which would you choose? ' SF: That's a rough one man, why would you ask that? I can't answer that, would never trade one for the other. We hope that we maintain a good mix of- both. Sometimes you want to shut up and play, sometimes you just want to sing. TMD: How about this, would you rather be Slash or AxI Rose? SF: Ah dude, I just read that they re-, formed, that new guitar player, Buckethead, he's all chop, he's so good * he's bad. TMD: Do you see yourselves as the "old band" and the "new band" or has the transition been less rigid and defined (last year Strangefolk's lead singer left the. band and was replaced by a new singer along with the new addition of a key- boardist) SF: It's a transition, it's a big one, but there's so much carry-over of the spirit from the past, so it's a fairly smooth growth, like an evolution into a new thing. It's not band A and band B, it's ,n expansion of an idea. For Luke and Scott, it's been serendipitous. TMD: Kind of a stereotypical last question: Where do you guys see the band in two years? SF: Where do we see the band in two months is probably a more rational ques- tion. Will we be back on tour? Yes, prob- ably. Hopefully we'll continue touring and people will want to come out and hear us, and we'll take things one step at a time. .. - .~ ..J.Sportsg rill&Pu Nllo o Assolto. S T 0 L 75 CALL DRINKS B E A M icll C 0 aCK ppN1Ei-S --- .. i ' IJJULS It IUIJI. a c ~ .... . W y... 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