4B - Thursday, January 18, 2007 {the b-side} The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com BELIKOS From page 1B "Before I joined Belikos," Reed said, "my plan was to jet over to California and basically work like a maniac to try and break into the studio scene." The remaining four members of the group are somewhat different. Plagued with bills, 9-to-5 jobs and a hand- ful of recent robberies to their house, Ethan Hampton, Justin Hampton, Aaron Orr and Mo live what can only be described as a bohe- mian lifestyle. Inspirational quotes dress the walls of their Ypsilanti home. Coupled with their makeshift 8-by-8 "stage," also known as their living room, these words speak directly to their existence as both hopeful musicians and realistic adults. Sacrifice characterizes the lives of these four members. Unless you happen to be in their neighborhood at around 10 p.m. on weeknights when they rehearse, you have a better chance of seeing them behind a counter than on stage as musicians. "Right now, we invest only about a quarter of our time on music - whether that's enough or not is irrelevant... that's allwe can afford to do right now," said Mo, who currently works at the Kinkos on Liberty Street. University students living in the Fiji house or Applebee's fans likely have caught at least a glimpse of lead vocalist Aaron Orr. Chef by day, waiter by night and musician in between, Orr has pursued his passion for music since his high school days in Ann Arbor. "Mo and I went to rival high schools and met through mutual friends," Orr explained. "We formed our own rap group and would just do our thing whenever we got the chance." Later, the duo met brothers Ethan and Jus- tin Hampton and started to playtogether. "Justin is wild and out of his mind and just vomits creativity, but Ethan is able to iron out and interpret Justin's visions into something we can all work with," Mo said. Before Reed joined, the band had a female vocalist and horn players. Then this pastsum- mer, Belikos invited Reed to join the band. Having originally met at an impromptu jam session months before, Orr and Mo kept Reed in mind thanks to his solid chops. Newly graduated and at the edge of start- ing a new life out in California, Reed faced an near-impossible decision. "I'd been looking forward to moving out to L.A. for a long time," Reed said. "But (then) I got the offer to join Belikos ... I (decided to stay) because I believed in the music we were going to make." Let's get wasted Given their varied backgrounds and musi- cal preferences, the band attempts to pack as much flavor and nuance into their music as possible. "Whatwe're really tryingto do isctouch peo- ple," Reed said. "We want people to remember us and our music as something special, some- thing that evokes a certain memory and feel- ing - a reference point in life, maybe." Manifest in Belikos's music is a desire to bridge the gap between hip hop, pop and more guitar-heavy, Red Hot Chili Peppers- esque rock. The band members must be able to switch back and forth between different musical techniques and styles. In particular, Orr and Ethan possess a dual effervescence that explodes on stage: In several sets, a gyrating, half-naked Orr will stun you with his vocal talents - free-styling at one end, hollering at an ear-splitting pitch at the other. Ethan's versatile voice has the ability to seduce even the staunchest listeners, only later to break them down in a rambunctious protest. With the majority of tracks serving as func- tional "Let's Get It Started'-type songs (or rather, their more blunt rendition, "Let's Get Wasted"), you shouldn't expect much from their music other than a rapidly beating heart and a strong desire to hit the dancefloor. Though they seek an innovative path and name for themselves, as a whole, Belikos's triumph and desire speaks louder than their actual product. They can move audiences and inject a universal desire to "Get Wasted" into the bloodstream. Nothing more, nothing less. When all is said and done... With a handful of shows under their belts and a newly recorded demo, what's next? "I see the band doing a lot more shows across the nation," Mo said, "hopefully on col- lege campuses since it's one ofthe bestways to get your name out there. I'm excited to getout and really hit the road." But Reed has a slightly different opinion. "We're good, but not great -yet," he began. "A record label would be awesome, but I don't think we're quite there."Reed believes Belikos needs to establish a network in Ann Arbor, then eventuallythroughout Michigan and the Midwest. "Right now, I see Belikos growing primarilythrough word-of-mouth." Playing a dual role as PR rep and bassist, Reed has a great deal of knowledge about the music industry that will work in the band's favor. However, his consciousness of the band's presentation is borderline obsessive. Althoughthefledglingbandhasonlybegun to trudge along the path toward stardom, the Internet has dramatically altered the fate of local bands across the nation and in Europe. What BBC coined as "DIY marketing cam- paigns" could some day push local bands like Belikos over the edge. Until then, it's back to work for the boys of Belikos: paying the bills and feeding the dream. Looking for a career that gives you choices? A ( qy y0 CF F q lb AUTO SHOW From page 1B Best Production Car: Audi R8 - I dismissed this almost immediately when I saw it as another absolutely incredible but highly improbable concept that would never make it to production. Then I read the sign and my jaw dropped. It's coming out in the fall. Will Smith drove practically this same car in "I Robot," and that was set in 2035. This is finally a case where the future arrives sooner than we expect it. Worst Concept: InfinitiBevel- Painted a lovely shade of diarrhea, this is by far the ugliest thing I saw all day. The back looks like a mas- sive computer from 1984. The front looks like a hammerhead shark. Sprinkle some LCD lights every- where, and you've got the worst idea someone should've never had. Worst Production Car: Chrys- ler Sebring - When Michael Scott from "The Office" thinks your car is cool enough to buy, you know you have a problem. The Sebring has always been the choice for people who think that simply driving any convertible makes you cool, but as it turns out, the car is as lame as they come. This new redesign gives a car that should've died years ago more life it doesn't deserve. Most Important: Chevrolet Volt - Probably the most talked about concept of the show, this car liter- ally plugs into the wall to recharge its motor, and in addition to elec- tricity can run on gasoline, ethanol or biodiesel fuel. Everyone is telling me this is the car that'sgoingto save the world, although I remember hearing that exact same thing a few years ago with the GM Hywire and most likely a few years before that. The belief we'll all be driving alter- native fuel cars in 10 to 20 years has been repeated constantly for about the past 10 to 20 years. Most Fun: Mazda Ryuga - It's not as practical as last year's Kabu- ra concept, so I can't say it will make it to production. But it's still pretty damn cool. The pieces of the chrome-stylized interior flow together like water, and the front and rear lights appear slashed into the body of the car with claws. The Ryuga is less a car and more a mas- terpiece of art. Other Attention Grabbers: There are far more cars thanyou'll be physically able to see, so here are the ones everyone is either praising or hating. 0 FordAirstream-Thiscameclose to taking my "Worst Concept" I hate cars like this, itchas exactly 0% production parts and was clearly just something that Ford's design chief Peter Horbury vomited out of his brain. The interior looks like a playpen for a toddler and there is a central cylindrical television screen that plays video of a roaring fireplace.When your company is on the verge of extinction, it's clearly not time to be joking around. * Ford Interceptor - In contrast, this almost took my "Best Con- cept." Its elongated body and nar- row windows are slick as hell. Ford should produce something very close to this and phase out the hor- ribly bland Five-Hundred. If we give our police Crown Victorias, then Jack Bauer himself should drive this badass cruiser. Ford needs exactly this sort of car to keep itself alive. * Kia Kue - This could possibly be the tamest concept car of all time. Oooh, it's got narrow, aggres- sive lights - scary! Just because you shape something with unusual angles does not mean it's "from the future." Though I willgive itpoints because it doesn't look like it was designed in 1992 like all other pres- ent-day Kias. * Chrysler Nassau - Every year Chrysler tries to outdo the 300C, and every year they prove their originalsuccesswasa"flukebecause it's clear they have no idea what they're doing. This half hatchback/ half luxury car has no idea what it wants to be. And seriously - does Chrysler even produce cars that aren't silver? * Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept - Clearly the winner for most innovative name, this con- cept is most likely a rebirth of the recently killed NSX. Severe angles and wrap-around windshield make it look nothing like its predecessor, but it's the NSX's soul that will live on, not the body. And that's all we need. The electricity in the air at Cobo is enough to get anyone excited, and if you're a car enthusiast, the NAIAS is like Christmas. So if you can scrounge up a ride of your own, I highly suggest you check it out before it closes next Sunday. Whatever your career goals, you'll find a path that helps you reach them at Ernst & Young. We've created a flexible work environment that provides options for managing personal and professional growth and success. So visit us on campus or at ey.com/us/careers. FORTUNE 100 BEST COMPANIESo TO WORK FORC 4 @ 2007 ERNST & YOUNG LLP II 1 _ __ --