ARTS
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 11, 2004 -
m
GOING SOUTH
BRITISH ROCKERS INVADE MOTOWN
CONCERT PREVIEW
In the year 2004, the British have finally
discovered a sound that speaks to American
audiences. Bands are now aiming for melody
rather than guitar riffs and the result is some
of the best songwriting the U.K. has pro-
duced since the Brit-Pop years. The Lon-
don-based trio South, however, has
managed to establish a name for itself in
this thriving music scene.
Comprised of Joel Cadbury (lead
vocals, bass and gui-
tar), Jamie McDonald South
(lead guitar, vocals Ti
and drums) and Brett Tonight at 8 p.m.
Shaw (drums), South At Magic Stick
is focused on creating
great music regardless of its commer-
cial potential. When asked about the
ultimate goal of his band, Shaw
seemed hesitant to look beyond the
group's current situation. "We don't
want world domination or anything
like that, we just enjoy entertaining
ourselves and others."
The band was discovered in 1999
by James Lavelle of the band
U.N.K.L.E.; who signed the boys
to his record label, MoWax
Recordings. Lavelle was taking a
chance by signing a rock band to
his mainly electronic label, but
South proved to be a versatile
and unique talent that con-
tributed greatly to the MoWax
roster. With Lavelle signed on
as co-producer, the band
recorded their first studio
album, From Here On In. Shaw
describes the album as a
"sprawling 70 minutes of
songs" and despite its length,
he is proud of the versatility
that was displayed in the
group's first release.
In 2000, South was given the honor of compos-
ing the soundtrack for Jonathan Glazer's Oscar-
nominated film debut, "Sexy Beast." Shaw felt
that the band always had a visual quality to its
music and the score seemed to be a perfect fit for
its sound. "It was great fun actually, something
we all really enjoyed," he said. "It was a different
way of thinking about music and song structures
... not just verse/chorus verse/chorus ... you get
more of a free range to do what you like when
you involve visuals."
The band's new album, With the Tides, is decid-
edly more song-based and focused. South has
trimmed off the excess music from their debut and
streamlined their tracks into a more compact three
-to four-minute span. The album was recorded
after three grueling years on the road, but the
stress of touring only served to fuel the group's
desire. "With this album, I don't think we want to
tour as much," Shaw quipped. "So we'll have to
get the next album out a lot quicker."
South is currently in the middle of their first
U.S. headlining tour and Shaw feels confident in
the concerts they've played. "We've been here for
about a week now and the gigs have been going
really well, we've been playing great venues and
getting great reactions, it's been really fun," added
Shaw. South will be playing tonight at the Magic
Stick in Detroit.
Kerr explained.
The play was chosen not only
because of the St. Petersburg theme
semester in the fall. "Since Septem-
ber 11, we're
more sensitive to
change in our The Quick-
society right Change
here," Kerr com- Room
mented. "So I Thursday-Saturday
think it is very at8p.m.and
relevant." Sunday at 2 p.m.
Written by Tickets $15-20
Nagle Jackson, the At the Mendelssohn
story follows an Theater
acting company's
production of Chekhov's "Three Sis-
ters." As ticket prices climb and the
new social structure in Russia leaves
many hungry and without material
goods, the public's desire for Western
entertainment increases. "So (the act-
ing group) compromises and shifts
Chekhov's play into a rather tacky
musical," Kerr said.
Sound is consequently an impor-
tant part of the production, and there
are even live musicians on stage in
several scenes. The play provides
strong acting roles, said Kerr of the
10 leading characters, and "the cast
is superb."
"The Quick-Change Room" is a
theater department production with an
entirely student cast, primarily made
up of seniors. Students are also
responsible for the costumes and th
ornate set.
The play was written by Jackson
after living in the Soviet Union - the
first American stage director in the
country a dozen years ago. He lived in.
a theater in an apartment while direct-
ing Tennessee Williams's "The Glass
Menagerie." "That was sort of the
genius for him writing 'The Quick-
Change Room,' " Kerr noted.
Jackson will be in town for several
discussions about the play. On Satur-
day he will attend the performance.
and will hold a discussion with the
audience and the cast afterwards.
Jackson will also have a discussion
at 11 a.m. Sunday in 2550 Frieze
Building.
Looking behind the magic of Hollywood film
By Jennie Adler
Daily Arts Writer
The importance of credits seems
to go unnoticed by audiences.
Whether viewers leave out of bore-
dom, butt-numbing pain or limited
time, many miss the end credits.
But what audiences may not realize
is that these acknowledgements are
a significant part of the film. In
fact, there is a point to seeing the
name of every crew member.
The credits allow you to under-
stand and appreciate all the other
facets of filmmaking besides the
acting and directing. Unfortunately,
because of the lack of attention and
recognition that most crew mem-
bers receive, credits only inform
insiders or a curious viewers.
The opening titles (if there are
any) of a film differ from the end
credits. People actually have to
watch the beginning credits if they
want to see the film. Also, because
these are usually shorter and only
feature the roles that audiences are
familiar with (actors, directors and
producers), the graphic design is
intriguing and entertaining. The
white-on-black end credits thus
pale in comparison.
"Pirates of the Caribbean," a big-
budget film released last year,
boasted an extensive list of crew
members in its end credits. The
film, which combines animation,
intense stunt work and period cos-
tumes, had so many various jobs
that the end credits last more than
nine minutes. "Pirates",serves as a
good example of credits that feature
hundreds of faceless names with
unknown, but vitally important,
jobs that go unnoticed by the aver-
age viewer.
Without construction coordinator
Robert Blackburn there would have
been no ships or buildings on the
"Pirates" set. It was Blackburn's
job to oversee all the set construc-
tion that took place. The cave in
"Pirates," just a mere portion of the
magnanimous sets, took Blackburn
and his crew five months to con-
struct.
John Knoll, the visual effects
supervisor, had an equally important
job. It was Knoll who managed and
organized all the storms and explo-
sions in "Pirates." Using miniatures
of the three ships in the film, Knoll
and his staff were free to blow up
and sink anything they wanted.
Another example of an important
crew member is Geoff Campbell.
the CG model supervisor. Camp-
bell contributed to the eerie skele-
tal pirates' authenticity by
matching the actors' faces to their
skeletal interiors. Frankly, without
Knoll, Campbell and Blackburn, or
any of the hundreds of crew mem-
bers, "Pirates" would've been just
another second-rate, cheesy pirate
movie - or even worse, it
would've resembled of the inspira-
tional Disney theme park ride that
inspired it.
Yet, film and video Prof. Hugh
Cohen suggested that it takes a spe-
cialist to take heed of these jobs.
Cohen, who was familiar with most
of the crew members' duties, appre-
ciates the meticulous effort put into
the filmmaking process. However,
though he always sits through the
credits,, esai",.-.The (credits) are
so annoying and go on forever." He
only endures them-for further infor-
mation about songs or locations.
Cohen adds, "For the viewers, it's a
waste of time." perhaps it's only a
waste because the viewers are unin-
formed.
In the end, watching the credits
just may enhance one's understand-
ing of the film. Instead of knowing
the actors' and actresses' husbands'
brothers' wives, take notice of the
little people - the hardworking
Have you seen the new pirate movie? It's rated "Arrrrrgh."
crewmembers. And if the audience
is lucky enough, an extra scene or
two just might follow the credits.
Those who stayed for "Pirates"
were privy to an extra scene with
Jack the monkey.
3
Late Muppet mastermind
lost in his own 'Labyrinth'
By Ryan Lewis
Daily Arts Writer
DVD REVIEW
Does the magic of Jim Henson ever
fade? Nearly 15 years after his unfor-
tunate passing, his puppet mastery and
Muppet tales continue to captivate
millions of children around the world,
and his films
maintain a certain yi
nostalgic quality Labyrinth
for those of us Columbia
who grew up
watching them. Made with masterful
craftsmanship and wonderful fantasy
that only Henson could conjure,
Columbia/TriStar has finally decided
to release a special collector's edition
DVD of "Labyrinth."
Under Henson's direction and star-
ring David Bowie alongside a young
yet still beautiful Jennifer Connelly,
"Labyrinth" is the story of Sarah
(Connelly), a girl who wishes her
young stepbrother to be taken away by
the Goblin King (Bowie). When her
wish actually comes true, she finds
herself having to travel through the
Labyrinth she has only read about, a
place where nothing is what it seems,
Ir - -A -+ o - I" ,nh r - fn
God ofAntimatter
a science & religion lecture by
Dr. Gerald Gabrielse
Leverett Professor of Physics, Harvard University
ATRAP Team Leader, CERN Labs, Switzerland
2002 Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic Physics
p.m. Sponsored by
Thursday, Feb. 12
in
1040 Dana Bldg.
(430 E. University-- SNRE Building;
parking in Church St. ramp) @ Campus Chapel
734-668-7421
-t til L i i V±VA U I fSi I
Hoo Nights? Cool Trips?
Killer Deals?
This ain't your parents' travel agency... it's yours.
Complete the Questions below and turn in to either the CIC Desk at the Union or the Gift Shop at
the League for a chance to win $100 or $75 gift certificate to the Michigan Union Bookstore or other
great gifts!
Name
the disc itself are the usual trailers,
talent files and an extensive photo
gallery that, while interesting, pales
in comparison to the "Inside the
Labyrinth" featurette. This slick,
hour-long behind-the-scenes look is
one of the best and most compre-
hensive you'll find from a film
made before the DVD era. It docu-
ments every aspect of the filming
ck- is -4 . nf- nrnar1 b 14Pn -
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