ART S The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 2, 2004 - 9 Local band develops new sound By Matt Kivel Daily Arts Writer "Come on let's go / let's not talk about tomorrow / today." These are the opening lines of Pas/Cal's debut EP, The Handbag Memoirs. The song is called "The Bronze Beached Boys (Come on Let's Go)" and can be heard Courtesy of Le Grand Magistery I believe the murderer among us Is you, Col. Mustard with the candlestick. in Saturn's latest TV track is a sunny piece of pop perfec- tion, complete with falsetto harmonies and catchy bass hooks that over- ad campaign. The Pas/Cal Saturday at 9 p.m. At the Magic Stick Lyon Opera performers amaze onstage. French dance opera of oddities makes appearance at Power Center By Lynn Hasslbarth Daily Arts Writer i A R EW shadow the relatively drab car design featured in the commercial. So the question remains: What brought a small indie-rock band from Dearborn into the world of corporate tycoons and nationally syndicated television? Frontman Casimer Pascal, explained this unlikely pairing: "We're signed to La Grand Magisterey Records, which is a very small indie label, and because of that there isn't a lot of exposure. When it came down to making the decision about the commercial, we asked whether or not we were selling out, whether or not we were doing the right thing. Its just something I'm almost positive that I swore we'd never do, but time changes all." The band was born out of the musical chemistry between Casimer and drum- mer LTD. They originally worked together in a kraut-rock/improv outfit that Casimer now deems "unlistenable." "We were getting into the microscopic music, the relationship between two notes, and anytime you start doing that with something as pure and beautiful as music you really start fucking it up." When friend/guitarist Gene start- ed jamming along, Pas/Cal began to discover its signature sound: three minute pop songs with irresistible melodies that evoke memories of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Casimer's high-pitched vocal croon sounds like a young David Bowie complimented by the wit of Jarvis Cocker. With the release of its second EP, Oh Honey We're Ridiculous, the Sat- urn commercial and the beginning of its full length debut to be recorded this summer, Pas/Cal is at an exciting time in its career. "The record's going to be all new songs; it's very nerve- wracking," Casimer said. "Most bands will combine old EP's to make the debut record, but I have a short attention span and I need change in our music. Having a record made of mostly old stuff doesn't sound that exciting to me." The two EPs exhibit great promise for a band that is just beginning. Each song is charming - both lyrically and musically - and is surprisingly polished for being recorded in Casimer's studio/garage. Pas/Cal epit- omizes the indie-rock aesthetic, mak- ing sincere music that does not sacrifice its artistic credibility for commercial success. The Lyon Opera Ballet returns to Ann Arbor today and Saturday with an intriguing work by renowned French theater artist Philippe Decoufle. Having just performed its world premier in Lyon, Decoufl6's latest work "Tri- codex" is an impressively original masterpiece. "Tricodex" is the culmination of a trilogy of works created by Decoufle since 1987. The collection was inspired by Italian graphic artist and naturalist Luigi Serafini and his fascinating encyclo- pedia of plants and animals titled "Codex Serafinius." This 400-page Lyon Opera masterpiece features illustrations, Ballet, graphs, charts and descriptions Tricodex depicting an imaginary world of TodayandSaturday nature and industry. First published at 8 p.m. in 1981 and subtitled "A Visual Tickets $14-42 Encyclopedia of an Imaginary Uni- verse," Serafini's work features a At the Power Center fictional world of mythical crea- tures, mathematical equations, hairstyles, playing cards, flying machines and labyrinths. Decoufl6 brings all this to life on stage, blending the worlds of circus, visual arts and dance in a kind of graphics that he calls 'ensemble mathematics.' One of the world's most fascinating publications, Ser- afini's encyclopedia has inspired Decoufl6 throughout his choreographic career. Serafini's surreal images were seen in Decoufl6's choreography for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Viewers saw performers dressed as human snow-globes, bounding across space in synchro- nized bungee-jumping routines. Decoufl6's "Tricodex" continues the innovative and adventurous choreographic tradition of the Lyon Opera Ballet. Founded in 1969 under the leadership of Yorgos Loukos, the company has commissioned works from Student groups bringBen Folds to 'U' By Scott Serilla Daily Arts Writer CONCERT PREVIEW A glimpse of the encyclopedia imagery in "Tricodex." young choreographers and performed inventive produc- tions of classics such as "Cinderella" and "Copp6lia" as well as a new interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet." The classically trained dance company also presents works by highly regarded American choreographers like Bill T. Jones, Trisha Brown and Lucinda Childs. The company has toured worldwide since 1987 with ongoing success. In 1995, the Lyon Opera Ballet was elevated to the same status as the 328-year-old Opera National de Paris, the only other national opera house in France. At this weekend's performances, the Power Center will be transformed into a psychedelic world where 30 dancers emerge as imaginary creatures, cloaked in near- ly 150 stunning costumes. Nerd-rock heartthrob Ben Folds will bring his current solo campus tour through Ann Arbor this weekend thanks to an alliance of committed student groups. Spearheaded by UAC's recently reinvigorated Big Ticket Productions, the concert will not only mark the reopening of the renovated 4,000-seat Hill Auditorium for student-oriented rock shows, but hopeful- ly also a revival of national touring acts being lured back to town.B F Best known for his commercial break- Ben Folds through with his eponymously named Saturday at 8 p.m. trio, Ben Folds Five, singer-songwriter At HillAuditorium Folds has maintained a consistently devout, if somewhat less visible following since the band's break-up in 2000. Folds's appeal largely comes from his dis- tinct range of pop craftsmanship, easily fluctuating between wry Randy Newman-esque character studies, delicate melod- ic heartbreak and smart-assed blasts of quirky rock. Doubtlessly, fans can expect Saturday's show to include a mix of Five-era faves, his solo album Rockin ' The Suburbs, recently released twin EPs Speed Graphic and Sunny 16 and his yet-untitled next solo album due sometime this year. Big Ticket Production's student-run executive board has plenty of reason to celebrate nearly selling out Hill for Folds's Ben Folds Five. Not pictured: the untalented ones. performance. Students may be unaware, BTP member and LSA senior Melanie Kalisz points out, but most major univer- sities fund specific student committees.to bring music and comedy acts to its campuses. "It's been really difficult task for us because here we have nothing, Kalisz added, "We have to hook up and collaborate with Hillel and these other groups and piece it together." BTP hopes to, over time, consolidate these efforts at Michi- gan. "I think this will give us some real credibility," said LSA junior Chuoh Ngeh about the success of the Folds concert and BTP's work with last fall's Comedy Central "No Class" tour. "We've proven we can pull it off," said Ngeh.