Friday November 7, 2003 michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaily.com Ae a a nuSu 5 5 Israeli songbird flies to Rackham By Rachel Berry For the Daily FINE ARTs PREVIEW When Chava Alberstein's Yiddish-tinted Israeli accent answered, "Hello" from Israel during a phone interview with her last Saturday afternoon, the sincerity and com- passion reflected in her voice shed light on why Israelis look to her as the most accomplished singer in their Courtesy of Records I smell varmits. By Andrew M. Gaerdg Daily Arts Writer country's history. Her music's thoughtful and folksy roots makes The New York Times' comparison between Alberstein and Joan Baez seem fitting. Though Israel continues to make headlines for violence and politics, Alberstein reminds us "there is a very different side to the country, the Chava Alberstein Saturday at 8 p.m. $20-34 At the Rackham Auditorium BACHMANN STRAIGHTENS WITH AGE album where she has collaborated with her husband using his lyrics. Likening it to a "documentary film," she gives vignettes of life in a struggling area of Tel Aviv. She said, "It is an album without illusions. It is a side of life we don't like to think about, but it is some- thing that exists. I wrote the music, he knew how to catch the little things." Alberstein feels very connected with this part of life, because she too was once an immigrant. "Even though I have lived in Israel nearly my entire life, I am constantly questioning my place in the world. Maybe it comes from being an artist, maybe it comes from being a Jew." To face the current times, Alberstein is looking to her past. "It inspires you to write in a different style ... to share stories and hope that the world that is becoming so terrible is in truth the same world. I find that you go on and write music and this is a very optimistic action." Perhaps it is her continued desire to bring optimistic action that compels Israelis to look to her to tell their story. Alberstein comments, "In Israel they know more or what to expect. Elsewhere it is more of a challenge to bring songs to the audience. I don't perform differently, but I try to explain the songs more. It is very important to understand the songs." Alberstein will begin her two-week tour to the United States with her first ever concert in Ann Arbor. She will include pieces from her latest recording. She hopes that through bringing her songs in concert throughout on the international stage, "Some how the world will become better." "You can talk about being from the South and being from North Carolina, but it's just a commodity these days. There's fucking huge corporations down in the South. It's not like it was in 1930." Eric Bach- mann is bemoaning the marginalization of Southern culture. While the Crooked Fingers frontman certain- ly didn't suffer the pre-industrial days of his native land, he has more credibility than most. "I was a little kid running around Florida with my shoes and shirt off, chewing Skoal and listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd." Crooked Despite his upbringing, it was the Cro.ke lo-fi punk squall of the Archers of Finrs Loaf that put him on the indie map. Saturday 9 Bachmann and his hoarse bellow pio- At the Magic Stick Clear Channel neered a sound that became a staple of college rock in the mid '90s. Bachmann's success with the Archers will undoubtedly be his legacy, but his work with Crooked Fingers has been just as substantial. Trading biting guitar riffs for down-tempo folk picking, Crooked Fingers shoots for the gruff storytelling of Tom Waits and the ethereal folk of Nick Drake. "I wanted Archers to sound like a cacophony of some sort, and these (Crooked Fingers songs) to sound like an old mountain," claims Bachmann. "I would say that the three records I've made with Crooked Fingers are more similar to each other than all the records the Archers made, but that's because I've stumbled upon something that interests me." That interest stems from a disparate music background that includes a number of influences. "My mom was a country music fan and my dad was into things like Blood, Sweat and Tears. I'm very much influenced by Townes Van Zandt, but I'm also influenced by the polar opposite, Brian Eno. Hungarian gypsy music - I love that." An eager student of song craft, Bachmann showcased his love on Reservoir Songs, an EP that saw the Crooked Fingers covering Prince and Neil Diamond. "I really miss that," laments Bachmann, "in the '60s when Joan Baez would cover a Bob Dylan song. It's all dialogue, it's all language to me. It seems like a great thing to do, to cover contemporary people, but people are too proud to do it. Every cover I do is because I felt like I've learned some- thing from it. You sort of solve the puzzle." Filled with surreal imagery and stories of the down and out, Red Devil Dawn, Crooked Fingers' latest offering fur- ther distances Bachmann from the obtuse wordplay that became a trademark of the Archers. "I feel like things will last longer when they're dealing with a specific emotion," though he adds that they can "Still be suggestive or obscure. Making a record is a series of decisions. It's more deliberate now." Bachmann's varied music history has led him to a posi- tion few underground musicians know: an influential songwriter with a varied past, whose skill continues to improve. A former music major, Bachmann decided early on what his calling was: "I burnt out on being a perform- ance major. I'd sort of pound on the piano and try to write songs, and it just sort of hit me. 'Man, you should be writ- ing songs, that's what you want to do.' That's the joy you get out of playing music ... just writing stuff." A decade into his career, Bachmann's opinion of his music reveals both his humility and wit: "I like to think of it as Christian music without all that Christian bullshit." music the culture (and) the poems." By releasing nearly 50 albums in Hebrew, Yiddish and English since the 1960s, Alberstein's lyrics form a history of her country. The external and almost frontier quality of her early recordings like, "Songs of My beloved Country," "Beaches" and "Like a Wildflower," speak of Israel as a fledgling country. "Israel was like a child in those days," Alberstein recalled, "Discovering all parts of her body." Her latest album End ofA Holiday, set to be released worldwide in January of 2004, continues along the same thread but has taken a different turn. This is the first Powder's always fresh on 'SSX' slopes By Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Writer Snowboarding games have explod- ed onto the videogame landscape in recent years, but the "SSX" series stands high above the rest. Originally a launch title for the PS2, the latest edition in the franchise, "SSX 3," is the first fully developed sequel as Blast off with multimedia Pops Orchestra "SSX Tricky" was simply an expanded version of the first game. EA Sports Big's new game is easi- ly the best snow- SSX 3 GameCube, PS2 and XBox EA Sports Big game's runs to become increasingly insane both visually and in difficul- ty. The soundtrack is loaded with diverse rock, hip-hop and techno tunes perfectly complementing the frenetic gameplay. The structure of the competitions and levels has changed drastically. Instead of each run being separate, the trails all spread off of multiple peaks and divergent paths. Exploring the tracks unlocks secrets and more peaks for racing. There are other events that can be played beyond the main single-player venture including time trials or trick attacks, and multi- player versions of the single player modes are available that add to the replayability. Controlling the shredders is a breeze. Fans of the past two install- ments will have no problems master- ing the controls. Every slope offers countless opportunities for big air and in turn, huge trick combos. The challenge to pull off tricks of increasing scores should keep the By Julie Sills Daily Arts Writer Ever dreamed of flying to the moon? Well, this Sunday night your chance has finally come. Just arrive at the Michigan Theater at 8 p.m. sharp (spacesuit optional) and in only a few minutes you will have left the planet Earth far behind. Plan to take a ride through the galaxy, completely wrapped up in the Michigan Pops Orchestra's breath- taking performance of "Pops in Space" Playing an array of space tunes from John W i t 1 i a m s melodies to big Pops in band, the Pops Space will feature works such as, Sunday at8 p.m. "Mars and $5 Students Jupiter," "The $8Adults Planets," "Star At the Michigan Wars" classics Theater that are familiar to all and "Satellite" by Dave Matthews Band. Better yet, performing in the Michigan Theater, the Pops enjoy adding eye-catching visual accom- paniment that go along with what they play. Last year the group showed clips from "Fantasia" while performing musical pieces from the movie, and this year, director Chris Lees looks forward to "more multi- media and visual displays." The Michigan Pops, the only completely student-run orchestra on campus, rehearses every Sunday night, working up to the big thrill and this Sunday they are more than ready for take off! Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to blast off into outer space along with the group's 2003 fall performance of "Pops in Space." boarding game on the market. With breathtaking slopes and peaks, "SSX 3's" graphics blow away the competition. Each selec- table character features a unique look, distinct personality and voice keeping "SSX" with a distinctive feel. The cartoon style enables the Courtesy or EA Sports Big Up, down, left, right, a, b, start. gameplay fresh for a long time. "SSX 3"has no real competition among snowboarding fans until the release of Nintendo's next "1080." However, the game is nearly flaw- less to fans of the genre. EA Sports Big continues its success with yet another great game that should appeal to anyone interested in extreme or winter sports. 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