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Bad Religion to stuf The Blind
Pig with new 'No Substance'
Gabe Fajuri
Daily Arts Writer
It's been almost two years since Bad
Religion played a show in Michigan.
The last time around, the seminal punk
rockers brought their influential sound
to the State Theatre in Downtown
Detroit for a big
show. But things
are different this
time around. On'
Tuesday, Bad Bad
Religion takes
over the Blind ReiiON
Pig right here in Blind Pig
Ann Arbor. Tomorrow at 11pm
Why is such a
big band playing
in such a small
club? According
to Brian Baker,
the band's lead
g itar player,
Religion is headlining this summer's
Warped Tour hitting Michigan some-
time in July, which has traditionally
been held at Pine Knob. Baker went on
to say that even if you weren't lucky
enough to get tickets for the Blind Pig
show, BR is "coming back in a close
enough time frame that everyone else
can go see us, too."
The band is making this tour to sup-
port its newest record, "No
Substance, which was released on
May 5. The new album, like past BR
offerings, is full of the same socially
aware, call-for-action anthems.
But Baker said that "definitely the
lyrical slant on this record is a little less
vaguesabout social problems" The band
has put together 16 tracks that include
messages about ie govemment, hip-
pies, and relationships. "Mediocre
Minds,"";The State of the end of the
MtI mniom Address," "Victimos of the
"We recorded about half of it in
(lead singer) Greg Graffin's house
without any supervision," Baker said.
Instead of the typical studio setting,
the band had to be sure that the kids were
asleep and the air conditioner was turned
off so the sounds didn't get picked up on
the final cut of the album.
Graffin also gave BR an interest
aside from blackening the name of the
United States government. For the first
time this year, the band has put togeth-
er the "Bad Religion Scholarship"
Conceived by Graffin, the scholar-
ship was created, "to reward people
who are interested in field work versus
laboratory work as far as some sort of
physical science," Baker said.
Graffin, a Ph.D. candidate in the
field of zoology, has lectured in the
past at Cornell and holds an under-
grsdua.ta dvree in cultural anthropeI-
o y and a n' r. rs degree in ge 0 g -
the e tr ds a lective -ht
--sesseses- -
counesy onpaph
They're not proud, but Bad ReligIon won't play It low key at The Blind Pig tomor-
row night to support their new record, "No Substance."
it's an important and visceral experience,
as long as it's still fun to play."
The band has been around for some
It years (the members are now in their
early 30's) and have put out 13 albums,.
including "No Suhstance. And BR
tho smtob'rs sloBwthre' dow f Iore-
itt . er vi ye1
, ,
Ior the t
As the first of the summer movies
to bombard the multiplexes, 'Vieep
Impact" has the advantage of catch-
ing movie-goers in a vulnerable state.
Bored after a winter that offered little
beyond "Titanic," and not yet
numbed to the fantastic, computer-
ized effects that will prevail in most
of the other blockbusters this sum-
mer, the public will inevitably flock
to theatres to see earth destroyed in
this new film from director Mimi
Leder ("The Peacemaker").
Unfortunately, many will likely
fails to live up to the two hours of
adrenaline-pumping wreckage sug-
gested by the previews.
In the picture, the discovery of a
comet the size of New York hurtling
towards earth and the subsequent
effects on the lives of its characters.
A television anchorwoman played by
Tea Leoni (NBC's "The Naked
Truth") must come to terms with her
parents' failed marriage before the
disaster. The boy who discovered the
comet (Elijah Wood) discovers fame
and love, and Robert Duvall leads a
team of astronauts of! into space to
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and try to stop she repet ef the best Hollywood
it. tresrdents. Elijah Wood as a boy
The quatity of Deep deing with young love for the first
the perfor- ImpaCt lime is believable. Robert Duvall,
mances in she like Freeman, plays a role that
film varies from requires little real acting ability, but
acceptable to At testies unlike Freeman, Duvall fails to
a t r o i s s Everywhere impress.
M o r g a n Tea Leoni's performance may be
Freeman's role most obvious flaw of "Deep Impact."
as the President Her acting skills evidently have not
of the United evolved one iota since her failed tele-
States, while vision program. Never once is her
neither promi- performance even vaguely convinc-
nent nor demanding, is well done. He ing. Every line she speaks is flat and
uninspired, as if she is reading from a
cue card.
In one scene, when she makes her
first broadcast as an MSNBC
anchorwoman, each line she says is
so robotic and unbelievable that it's a
wonder she ever made it into
I Hollywood.
Since it's her first broadcast, one
thinks that perhaps she's supposed to
be acting timid and stage-frightened.
Student discounts on Soon, though, the audience learns the
eye exams and eyeglasses sad truth through her co-workers'
compliment - her character is sup-
Great Brands posed to be charming and well-suited
for television. Her miserable first
Polo TommyHilfiger Calvin Klein broadcast was terrible only because
Leoni couldn't make it convincing.
a But the real problem with "Deep
Impact" spawns not from its lack of
. outstanding performances, but from
what we have to say," Baker said.
And that seems to be the case.
"Each album the band releases does
better than the last." Baker said. He
wouldn't like to characterize the band
as "mainstream," but like it or not, its
re
this film couldn't decide what it
wanted so be. Similarly marketed
filmns, such as "ludependence Day"
and "Twister," make it no secret that
all they intend to deliver is eye-
candy. They do not suggest any deep
morality issues, and they rarely
deliver performances beyond the
standard fare.
"Deep Impact" tries to juggle these
dumbed-down action movie charac-
teristics with some of the traits of
more character-oriented films. In its
attempt to be a jack-of-all-trades, the
film ends up being the master of
none. The character development
surpasses that of most other action
movies, but most of the- action is
reserved for the very end, as most of
the film is devoted to the characters.
The movie doesn't provide the
excitement of most other thrill-a-
minute summer blockbusters that
don't waste time delving into each
character.
"Deep Impact" was just too bor-
ing. As a character-driven drama, it
can't hold a candle to the masters of
the genre. The characters, despite
two hours of attempting otherwise,
are unoriginal and shallow. And for .
an action film, it is conspicuouslO
void of action - aside from an
impressive finale. Although a worthy
effort, "Deep Impact" fails to
impress.