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(09/27/01 4:00am)
After the police cut the stage power, the musicians of Latin-Afro-rock group Ozomatli grabbed their drums and jumped into the confused crowd of 10,000. Ten minutes later, kids were hit by rubber bullets and the City of Angels embraced the chaos that was the 2000 Democratic National Convention. And the conscientious Ozomatli had a new cause to sing about.\nEmbrace the Chaos is the hybrid rock band's second full-length national release, and its supporting Stateside tour is bringing the group to Alumni Hall for a free show this Saturday.\n"It kind of became the title track," percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi says. "It's sort of about the struggle the group went through up to that point… being able to embrace the craziness that's around your life day to day.\"\nOzomatli took the DNC Staples Center stage as the second band after Rage Against the Machine, Yamaguchi says. The musicians let loose on two songs before the cops pulled the plug. "Embrace the Chaos" features sound clips found on the Internet from the protest. \nLos Angeles isn't the only place Ozomatli has taken the stage for a cause-conscious crowd. This diverse crew of 10 musicians came together to play a 1995 benefit for the Peace and Justice Center, a place in California where kids can express themselves, Yamaguchi says. Even if the band's primary focus is the music, writing for a reason comes naturally for the band, as seems the case for Ulises Bella on tenor sax, clarinet, guitar and vocals. \n"I could play the music and dig it and help different things around the world, different things I wanted to change," Bella says. \nChanging the music world, at least, might just be obtainable for these guys. They are fusing different types of music together that generally aren't even in the same section at a record store. On the band's self-titled album, each song seems to skip between hip-hop and Latin rock, with tight guitars and punctuating rhythms thrown in. On Embrace the Chaos, each song seems to pick a style and flow with that flavor, with different sounds added more sparingly for spice. Most of the lyrics are also sung in Spanish. \nThis unique sound is part of the reason Union Board is putting on the show, says Union Board concerts director Andy Proctor. He saw the band open for Santana once and feels that its message will have a positive impact on the campus. \n"In these times, especially, when you bring more of an active, positive band to the campus... if it at all inspires people to do something, it will bring a positive influence to the campus," Proctor says.\nA message is only a percentage of the guts and glory of this multiethnic and many cultured band. Yamaguchi says the reason Ozomatli's music does have some political leaning is because the members already had it in their nature. Not every song or action is political -- "Ozomatli" is an Aztec word for the monkey god on the Zodiac Calender, Yamaguchi says. "Ozomatli" represents fire, passion and harvest. \nNature and background shines through in musical influence as well. With 10 musicians, Ozomatli has a diverse background, Yamaguchi says. These influences are noticeable on the band's two albums that feature segments from all sorts of genres. But, instead of jumping around within styles on single songs like on the first album, Yamaguchi says Embrace the Chaos features a little more consistency. \n"Our first album was very exciting... based on live shows," Yamaguchi says. "Our second album is about where we've been over the past few years. I think we have grown musically.\n"I think in terms of musical styles things are always changing," he continues. "There isn't any one thing that remains all the time."\nMusic from both albums will be featured at this weekend's show, Yamaguchi says. Though this tour supports the second album, Ozomatli will still unabashedly launch into tunes from the first. As for the acceptance of the band's unique styles, Yamaguchi is optimistic.\n"Young people in general are open to hearing... different kinds of music," he says.\nSomething the band tries to do is to break down barriers, in one way by reacting with the audience more than many rock star types. Yamaguchi says the band tries to put out a positive message. \nBella says playing live is what it's all about.\n"That moment when you hit onstage, when you're ready and get going… everything else is just kind of filler."\nOzomatli will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free to IUB students and one guest per ID.
(09/20/01 4:00am)
Who knows whether the author or the screenwriter is at fault for the poor plot of a novel adapted to fill the big screen. Whoever's fault it is, in "The Golden Bowl," from the novel by Henry James, someone needs to shoulder the hefty blame.\nCentered around a poorly crafted, knock them in the head with anti-subtlety metaphor, this early-1900s film lacks any sort of punch. Like one of those overdone and formal castles towering in the scenery, "Bowl" boasts a beautiful setting with an too-dramatic and drawn out plot. \nCharlotte (Uma Thurman) falls in love with poor Italian Prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam) and cannot live without him. But the prince decides that he is too poor to marry Charlotte and sidles up to the daughter of a rich American Adam Verver (Nick Nolte). Amerigo marries sweet Maggie Verver (Kate Beckinsale), who happens to be Charlotte's best friend. \nThe rest of the movie consists of Charlotte following Amerigo and trying to win back his affections. She even goes so far as to marry Maggie's widowed father to be close to Amerigo. Cascading in lies and intense emotions, Charlotte spends as much time alone with Amerigo as she can until her in-laws become suspicious. \nWith even more blatant metaphors and a plot that could have been shortened, "The Golden Bowl" throws away the knockout it could have delivered. The movie could be interesting enough if it wasn't 130 minutes long and bleary-eyed dramatic. Granted, the mess Charlotte is in is worthy of some drama, but the characters only prompted me to leave without bothering to notice the credits.\nThe two spotlight stars of the film are actually the set and backing music. With ornate castle-homes and clothing, the movie at least bore witness to something interesting and beautiful to look at. Richard Robbins composed a compelling soundtrack for the movie with wonderful instrumentation.\nIn the end, the first metaphor expanded even more: this "Golden Bowl" has more than one crack.
(09/20/01 4:00am)
So YOU wants to be rock stars. Local musicians Nick Niespodziani, Alyssa Finke, Peter Olson and Matt Sonnicksen are beat bouncing on television this week with a brand new music video. Here's the catch: most likely, only Bloomington residents will see the debut.\nYOU banded together to make the most of public resources by creating a music video of "Random Option," the first single from Better Live, the local act's sophomore CD release. But the video isn't headed for TRL -- these musicians will be dancing across the screens of channel 3 (41 in the residence halls), otherwise known as Bloomington's Cable Access Television Services.\n"I think part of the fun of it is that because it's for cable access, we don't have to take it too seriously," Sonnicksen says. "We're doing the whole 'Wayne's World' thing."\nYOU got together with local multimedia company Minerva Media for the production. "Random Option" is the first music video that director Daniel J. Geduld has worked on. The band came up with its own ideas and put together a quirky and upbeat clip. \n"This song is kind of about still living close to home and kind of feeling like you're still living at home," Niespodziani says. "So we kind of tried to play on the local Bloomington theme kind of thing."\nYOU's video is now poised to become part of the extensive video collection at CATS, which houses many tapes of local music events. The Gizmos, the Last Cadmium Orange basement show, a tape of David Baker from 1979, Johnny Socko from 1991 and clips from the first Rhino's show are just a few members of the documentary collection that calls CATS home.\n"I've always enjoyed the diversity of the Bloomington music scene," says former CATS employee and local music aficionado Eric White. "There's no real Bloomington sound." \nWhite has participated in the local music scene for7 20 years and has produced multiple tapes for CATS, from season-long series to tapes of local concerts. One musical video under his belt is the "History of Bloomington Music," produced in 1993. "History" traces Bloomington bands through their inception and death, with concert footage and a musical family tree. \n"There was such great music being played it was important to document it," White says of the CATS collection. He hopes the stations will receive a grant to make the collection more permanent, as some shows are still on reel-to-reel or three-quarter-inch tapes, and all are vulnerable to being destroyed or eaten. All of the tapes are in various stages of quality.\nCATS operates two channels that let the public get their hands on the first amendment via television. Channel 12 runs government business while channel 3 plays everything in the video collection. CATS employee Adam Stillwell says the station creates an opportunity for individuals to step up on his or her own digital soapbox as long as they avoid portraying pornography, hate speech and violence.\n"We are not so much a filter. If people are willing to take the time to make something, than we are willing to put it on," Stillwell says.\nThis, it seems by looking at the video archives, has been a good thing for local musicians who want to represent their music on TV. From years of Lotus Festival tape to punk rock to YOU's "Thriller" cover show last year, the 'M' shelves of CATS's collection are brimming with an eclectic electronic portrait of Bloomington's music scene. And anyone who has the gall can head to the Monroe County Library, 303 East Kirkwood Ave., to check the collection out.\nCATS has two viewing rooms in the library and anyone can request dubs. Requests must be filed two weeks before needed, and for every tape to be dubbed, it costs only a new video tape to copy onto and a Hi-8 tape for use by the public. \nWith dubs, viewing rooms and public TV -- even if the music is better live -- CATS's can show YOU the Bloomington Scene.
(09/13/01 4:00am)
Fortunately, David Grisman and Jerry Garcia are both fans of Bill Monroe.\nA decades-long musical partnership spawned in the air of Pennsylvania's Bill Monroe festival in 1964 that brought bluegrass flame keepers David Grisman and Jerry Garcia together. Now, the duo that brought you The Pizza Tapes and numerous other pieces of old-time beauty are the subject of "Grateful Dawg," a documentary. This will be one film where nothing matters but the music in it. \nTaking Bill Monroe's advice to create a personal music style, Jerry did Dead and David did Dawg. Now, with tracks spanning different epochs of Dead and Dawg's partnership, Grateful Dawg: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a documentary in itself. Live and studio tracks lay out the multifaceted talent of these folky fiends -- contrasting the structured, story songs with those that have more acoustic jam style. The live and studio versions of the title track, for example, lend an in-depth look at the rollicking instrumental. \nGarcia's and Grisman's vocals suit bluegrass like well-tuned mandolins -- melodic, yet capable of the sorrowful sound of a lament. Playing guitar, mandolin, mandola and banjo between the two of them, instrumentals are more than developed, including various solos by either artist. With various musicians filling in on violin, percussion and bass, Grateful Dawg's secret code of talented folk style is unbreakable. \nStandout tracks include jazzed-up bluegrass on B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone" and omnipotent vocals on Bill Monroe's "Wayfaring Stranger." All of the Garcia/Grisman originals need no hype -- they stand on their own.\nIn Grateful Dawg, the lesser-known, legend-worthy styles of Garcia and Grisman can live on. Their combination of the simple pleasures of folk arts and technical musical wizardry lets the music speak for itself.
(09/06/01 4:00am)
Including the line, "I love the way you smack my ass," in the first track of a band's first album is not the most eloquent way to unleash musical fury on the world. Try telling this to Puddle of Mudd.\nReleasing yet another 11 tracks of nu-metal pop, post-adolescent anguish to the airwaves, Puddle of Mudd's national debut has the sound of success. Read: this album sounds like much of what you might hear on MTV, the radio or perhaps at next year's May Day concert at Verizon/Deer Creek. This does not necessarily mean Come Clean is a terrible album, just don't expect a new sound from this quartet. \nOne explanation of the band's typical album sound might be co-executive producer Fred Durst, who first created his own sort of fame with the antisophisticate style of Limp Bizkit. Otherwise, let's give credit where credit is due: to vocalist and guitarist Wesley Scantlin, guitarist Paul Phillips, drummer Greg Upchurch and bassist Douglas Ardito (the latter three also on backing vocals).\nCome Clean first launches into it's attack on society, rejection and the plights of a bad childhood with the distortion of "Control," a tune torn between needing your girl and hating it when she pushes you around. Next comes the acoustic guitar intro-ed "Drift and Die," another song reeking of loneliness within the confines of society's supervision. Add Scott Stapp-sounding vocals, a standard rock rhythm section and continue the distortion-switch-acoustic-switch-distortion routine, and you have the flavor of the album. \nSome of the later tunes are generally catchy in a "bob your head as a self conscious concert-goer" type way. The poppy "She Hates Me" is amusing with its conflicting happy sound and bitter lyrics. \nRegardless of the band's un-surprising sound, the album is not a total failure. Come Clean is well-produced and composed of four-minute excursions into the "alternative" rock world. If you are into that sort of thing, pick this album up. The musicians have perfected the radio formula while retaining some amount of wit and skill.
(09/06/01 4:00am)
Commercialism: the bane of all that is pure in the world and the antithesis of good music. Once-loyal fans run away in droves when marketability first peers East from the coast of sunshine and glamour. Make music and worship your fans, but you sure as hell better not sell out.\nBack in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Seattle lushed into the grunge lifestyle with Sub Pop, Mother Love Bone and a greasy haired kid from some redneck town down the way. Add David Grohl and Krist Novoselic, and you have the trio that changed the rocking world with flannel and power chords. They were about punk -- doing it yourself in the face of the man. \nBut when the band caught on and the Seattle sound became the favored baby in the eye of record moguls everywhere, the real kids of the scene started the onslaught. Nirvana had sold out. The three guys who lived the depression and soul of that music were regarded as part of the system by some of their first fans.\nRegardless, the band continued to do what it loved to do (play quality, meaningful music) until its leader's death in 1994.\nIn another bout with fortune and loyalty in the spring, The Dave Matthews Band released its newest studio album, the anxiously-awaited Everyday. I was a member of the masses to rush to an album store on Kirkwood that ill-fated Tuesday. When I heard the first four-minute pop wonder track through my headphones in Ballantine Hall, I was disgusted. Here it was, the newest release from not only Dave but Carter Beauford and Boyd Tinsley, some of the most wicked musicians and soloists of the day, and it sounded fit to blare out the windows of some yuppie's new SUV instead of from the stage at Deer Creek (hmm... selling out -- now Verizon Wireless Amphitheater?). The album seemed targeted to appeal even more to the Abercrombie and Fitchers he already had by the collar. I took my DMB poster down from the wall. They had sold out.\nBut the real story needs reconsideration. While some music magazines praised the disc as a new step forward for the band, there was also a hidden story behind this wonderless Everyday. There was to be another album, near completion, with Steve Lillywhite, the somewhat revered digital mind behind DMB's previous studio works. Yet this album was scrapped in favor of working with producer Glen Ballard -- best known for working with Alanis Morrisette. Everyday was written in only a few weeks -- perhaps the album was made to thwart the evils of production and prove that these musicians are what they should be: masters of music. If they want to write a pop album, they can. \nIt's not always necessary to pounce on the first song a band spins on the radio. You don't have to dump kerosene on your record collection the next time a band plays on MTV. Undoubtedly, MTV sucks and the radio is not largely representative of good music, but fame is also not one of the seven deadly sins. Sometimes, although perhaps not in the case of Lars Ulrich, second chances are deserved. \nMusic is not only being true to a scene, it's being true to yourself. If a musician wants to go in a new direction, by all means he or she should. If grunge happens to catch on, this shouldn\'t be a reason to hate it. Radiohead wasn't considered a sellout when the band metamorphosized from guitar rock to the electronic anthem of the millions. \nPerhaps there is no real definition to selling out. If you are in the business for the money, fame or chicks, you definitely shouldn\'t be. Having a commercial deal with Pepsi or Coca-Cola, for instance, doesn\'t speak well to the soul behind your music. But if you find that you can play well and other people actually like to listen to it, you shouldn\'t be banned from all purist ears. \nBy definition: not everyone gives in to fame. Real sellouts were never in it for the music in the first place.
(04/12/01 4:00am)
Seattle was the holiest of the holy in the early '90s. This northwestern coffee-monger town singlehandedly gave birth to the flannel shirt and ripped blue jean-clad grunge seraphim.\n A seemingly bottomless well of the dark and screeching talent of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains is somewhat ignored by the national eye. Once home to the best of heavy rock and punk fusion for the lonelyhearted, the word "Seattle" still brings stars to my eyes. But why did one city explode with talent and then fade away?\n How could so much talent apparently instantaneously appear in one town that was previously off the charts? What drove these musicians to succeed after starting from a background much like aspiring musicians all around the country? How could Kurt Cobain go from pounding out tunes with a high school friend in a relative's house to becoming the martyr of grunge? Could it happen again?\n While elsewhere aspiring to be a musician is futile, Bloomington has a scene with locally well-established groups, more than one quality venue and some kids to go see the shows. The scene isn't in a position to disappear for quite awhile, as some do.\nThis is not the case for another Indiana town of nearly the same size with a university in the area. Lafayette is more conservative and home to fewer venues, but at one time it boasted a "burgeoning punk scene," says local musician and LafayetteMusic.net Webmaster Jesse Charles.\nCharles got into the scene about four years ago after arriving to study at Purdue. Aside from playing music, Charles started LafayetteMusic.net, an online haven for local musicians with a message board and show calendar. \nLafayette is not lacking in its share of big name locals. Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon fame, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses and Squirtgun all once called the area home. Now, though, there are few shows to catch on weekends and fewer solid bands to follow.\nWith such comparable stats, the scenes of Lafayette and Bloomington are worlds apart. So what makes a local scene work?\n"I'm going to say communication is key, especially in the form of networking," Charles says. "Bands don't want to do that anymore. It's a 'cooler than you' situation. In the past, bands of different genre and style were very open to working with bands of other styles. So I guess arrogance is the single biggest detractor to local music." Big heads equal small scenes.\nWith a limited amount of venues, money and fans, local scenes face an anti-Darwinesqe situation. To survive, musicians have to support one another instead of compete. To have a show to go to next weekend, it helps if musicians promote and attend the other group's set this weekend, letting venue owners know that original, local music is in demand.\nThis is what I see working in Bloomington. The musicians I talk to here know one another, play together and know when other shows are going on. \nAnother thing to keep the music flowing? "Activity," Charles says. Right on -- when no one else is playing shows, new musicians are subject to a largely uninspiring atmosphere to work in. \n"If nothing is going on, no one will see any point in doing anything. That's the problem here ... With a sharp drop in music-related activities in the area, no one was motivated to do anything about it.," Charles says. \nAlong with communication, motivation is largely working for Bloomington. Stuff is going on here, and people know it. There are people to play with and people to hear it.\nBloomington has not plateaued yet. There is room to grow. At the Live From Bloomington Vertigo show last week, the floor was virtually empty at first, expanding later but still leaving too much room. It turned out to be an amazing show. Some could say it was a good turnout, but for only $2-3 cover and a motivating cause, I was convinced there could be more. \nMany factors develop a scene, but one current runs underneath all of them. Maintaining a music scene takes work.
(04/05/01 4:00am)
How many indie kids does it take to screw in a light bulb?\nJust ask Little Joe Gould. It has that joke on vinyl. \nIn an art form that attracts oddities and obsessives, kids who would search forever for a specific import, there must be an aura of individuality and cool around an indie band that can make it. It must trade shows with other bands to get by and play behind poles in crowded basements. And the bands have to love it.\nLittle Joe Gould meets all the requirements. Originally formed during the spring of 2000 and then reformed into the present setup at the beginning of the school year, the band's darkly rocking sound came into being from a variety of influences and oddities. The first being duck rock.\nThe band members call themselves the purveyors of duck rock, whatever that means, and carry off this sound with precision and passion. So, from here on out, instead of referring to the band as a blend of anti-emo and musical love, we will refer to Little Joe Gould's oft indescribable sound as duck rock. \nThis duck rock comes from the combined talents of senior Matt Armstrong on bass, freshman Sarah Balliet on cello, sophomore Vincent Edwards on keyboard and samples, sophomore Alex Schrodt on drums and sophomore Adam Turla on guitar and vocals.\nThe quacking roar echoed from the Collins Clubhouse, on Eighth Street next to WIUS, one Thursday night before an interview. Armstrong was kind enough to sacrifice ear plugs to this journalist before diving back into the set. \nThis night, as per usual, the band played all original tunes. "Come Thursday," an eerie yet heartfelt ballad of losing and longing with a very cool keyboard line in the background, topped the set list. "Canyon Inn," "(Como) Panuelos (Blancos de Adios)," "This Song (is brought to you by the letter C and the number 6)," "Those Who Left" and "Those Who Stayed" rounded out this practice and interview time share.\nThese musicians came together like many do— entirely by fate and jam sessions. Edwards, Turla and Schrodt jammed together in the Collins residence halls with some other friends and decided to dive right into the whirlwind life of independent music. Originally, this setup included a violist and a violinist, but the music majors were forced to quit after threats from their professors.\nLater adopting Armstrong and Balliet, the duck rock sound took on that mysterious aspect that pop music misses: originality. It brings something a little different to the ears, with crazy bass playing that sometimes sounds like keyboards, keyboards layering melodies, the cello adding depth and the drums, vocals and guitars just doing their thing. \nThese musicians aren't afraid to try something. Duck rock really is the best way to describe the sound, otherwise the melee of 15 clashing, descriptive words wouldn't do justice to the semblance of balance that Little Joe Gould obtains.\nThis creativity does not stop at the music. Little Joe Gould also has really unique fliers that always get stolen. Edwards is, apparently, a master at the computer and will stop at nothing to take normal pictures and images and transfer them into something unique and somewhat crazy. The fliers usually have interesting pictures with lots of color. The font and writing occasionally resemble a scrawl. \nAfter a short time together, these musicians took to the basement of an independent recorder and put some songs down. The cover of the album is as beautiful and hectic as the music is. It is a mixture of fury and musicianship that meshes to form something good. \nWhile they play, this mixture is even apparent on the faces of the musicians. Edwards is serious, Balliet intense and Schrodt and Armstrong just look as though they are having fun. Turla switches between all three. \nThe music, emotion and quirkiness of the band creates a geeky cool of indie music. It even opens up the door to the indie music ignorant such as I. \nTrading shows with other indie groups such as Nymb from Chicago, the band is looking to set up a May tour. As long as you give him a floor to crash on and a little bit of food, Turla says he is ready to play. This trading and family type atmosphere is one of the definite benefits to being unsigned. \nSo with a quack and a ruffle of feathers. Little Joe Gould is on its way to doing what it likes best. Playing.\nLittle Joe Gould will play Saturday at Culture Shock in Dunn Meadow; April 13 with Das Spooky and Hijla at Rhino's All Age Music Club, 325 1/2 S. Walnut St.; April 21 at Collinsfest at the Collins Residence Hall and April 29 with the Shipping News at Rhino's.
(04/05/01 4:00am)
All bow before the gods of local music … for 2001 at least. Since 1986, the Union Board has put together a compilation of the best in local music with proceeds going to feed the hungry. 2001 is no exception.\nDanagas starts the disc off with a funk-based track with alien-style samples. "Alien Encounter"'s danceable, cool sounds tell the story of a musician in an "X-Files"-worthy encounter. Blue Moon Revue comes in next to tone down the funk and add a liquid-like groove. Low-key guitars, smooth harmonies and a tight rhythm section dresses up the band's energy on "Streetlight."\n"Hoping" by Ill Capitan opens with a mild growl and crisp percussion and then explodes into a distorted introspection piece. With the fingerprints of youthful angst, this track darkens the brighter sound. The band You brings out the sun again with "Cars." Complete with poppy harmonies, this lighthearted tune completes its bike story with strong keyboard and guitar lines and solid percussion. \n"Conviction Addiction" is a passionate track by Hunting Miles that takes local acoustic music to a new level and offers soulful vocals. Tearing it up on the jazz scene, the Barber Brothers Jazz Quintet rings in with "Song for Stanley T." This tune is amazing, complete with smoking horn solos.\nSwinging the album back into the pop-rock world, Only Infinity plays the growing up story of "Marbles and Stones" with dual vocals and easy-going instrumentation, including piano and auxiliary percussion. Jazzing it up again, Alma Azul brings culture to the scene through its Latin style on "Con el Sol." The beautiful female vocals complement the band perfectly. \nZeb Gould casts the spotlight back on acoustic music with "Coolridge Setting," a short but captivating instrumental. Sidestepping from the previous tracks, Crooked County plays the country blues in "High on the Hog." The track pays tribute to the influence of old country music. \nSally Anthony redeems towheaded female musicians of the past year with "Martyr," a solid song with rhythmic vocals. Mode Street throws in a bit more introspection and happiness with the swinging rock-styled "Bar Scene," also adding harmonies and a strong keyboard backing. Three Minute Mile paints a mellow picture of love with "Groove Me," a song deserving of top 40 fame. \nStrings and bass fuel Utopia Blue's "Breathe," a love song with a unique sound. These women sing with conviction. The Dew Daddies revisit rowdy twang with the rockabilly styled "I've Had It," complete with the right guitars to do the job. Ending with punch and a skank, No Reason Given tops it off with the attitude and intense energy on "OutDo"
(04/05/01 4:00am)
Don't tell Bob Schneider Texans only listen to country and rockabilly. An Austin songwriter with attitude and spice, Schneider leaves the stereotypes out to dry before climbing onstage. His first major label release as a solo artist, Lonelyland, is a dust storm of acoustic guitars, horns and brief beautiful female operatic vocals.\nAfter various bands and independently released titles, Schneider took on a solo career. This was a good move.\nSchneider does not have a problem with repetition. In fact, he mixes such a complex blend of different musical tactics I was left to wonder just where this guy learned to write. Instead of creating an album of songs that muck together under the same formula, he mixes the best qualities of many free-flowing forms.\nWith his acoustic guitar and smooth vocals, Schneider presents his soul under the guise of talent and style. Opening the disc with a mildly flavored rock type sound complete with keyboards and synchronized vocals, the title track sets the tone of the album. All of the other songs mix interesting techniques and personal lyrics for a hypnotic quality.\n"Bullets" opens with the line I gots to freak, I gots to flow to let the dance begin. Horns fill in the coolness while the rhythm section throws in the groove. Schneider's raspy vocals make the strut-funk mood complete. \nRight after letting out the swagger, Schneider tones it down a notch for "The World Exploded into Love," a quieter discourse on love that's fit for spring. \nThis is the game plan of the Lonelyland album: play song, go in entirely different direction than before, repeat. \nSchneider further eliminates the boredom problem with Latin influences and introspective lyrics. Singer-songwriter has taken on a new meaning with these tracks. \nSometimes the best music is undiscovered. Thankfully, this Lonelyland was.
(04/05/01 4:00am)
They call themselves the "kings of bluegrass disco." Oddly enough, this description is completely accurate. \nThe Ghettobillies of southeastern Michigan take music and wit where few have dared: to the realm of funkified country. An assault of rockingness on the ears, the Ghettobillies leave nothing to be desired for the music fan with a sense of humor.\nButterface, a sophomore release, jumps off the disco-dancing horse with the punchy, love-inspired "Risking Heaven." The track lilts to the story of a boy with a slight attitude and slighter twang who met the love of his life at a 7-Eleven convenience store. And the energy doesn't stop there. \nAside from the danceable and spirited sound, the Ghettobillies tease the mind with comical and smart lyrics. Consider them smarter, talented and musically adept with the spirit of a guy who likes to take advantage of that.\n"Line Dance Champion" points a laughing man's finger at the country pride world with coordinated hand claps, yeehaws and a beat that is actually line-danceable. With his Stetson, big belt buckle and tight Wranglers, this dude is ready to win. And so on -- he fun doesn't stop with country poking. \nGoing on to sing about the joys of "a little bit of cushion for the pushing" in "Jiggle Low," the beauty of sadomasochism in "My Girl" and the lacking love life of the pipe inclined in "Plumer's Lament," the Ghettobillies definitely have more than one trick in their bag of weird stuff.\nDo not be mistaken, the Billies do have a soft and sensitive side. In "The Gap," a sad string sound gives way to a tale of love and heartbreak in the mall. A young naive Gap employee takes up with the dreamy guy from Banana Republic and is heartbroken when that tall stupid blond bitch/from Abercrombie and Fitch/had stolen her man with a fake and bake tan. Sad, isn't it?\nDo not let the wit take away from the Ghettobillies musical talent. Their strains of all sorts of influences are pulled off without a pause.\nWith insight and the music to get it across, the Ghettobillies have won the crown in their division. \nAll hail the kings of bluegrass disco.
(04/05/01 4:00am)
Armageddon. Raining fire, the battle between good and evil and the death of comic books. Welcome to the future of illustration and fantasy: When it arrives, there might be nothing left. \nWith the near bankruptcy of Marvel, one of the comic industry's two main superpowers, dropping purchase rates, various time-consuming distractions besides comics and the general buzz of dissatisfaction with spandex-clad superheros, some creators are predicting the end. The elimination of comics as we know them. At the same time, some disagree. \nMarvel comic sales have fallen from $850 million in 1993 to $275 million in 1999, U.S. News and World Report Online reports. The number of comic shops went down from about 10,000 to 3,400. \nCompanies such as Marvel now rely on monthly books for the majority of sales, putting out 20-30 page comics for about $3 a pop. Trade paperbacks, collections of many issues in a single, more sturdy format, are drawing an increased number of buyers.\nDespite Marvel's close downfall, Don Wilds, the guy behind the counter at the Vintage Phoenix comic shop downtown, says the sales and customer stream have been pretty consistent since he opened the store with some friends in 1974. Wilds also testifies to the success of trade paperbacks.\nLike many, Wilds started perusing this particular literary form as a boy and got back into it during college. He says people become enamored with comics for different reasons, especially since the birth of independent publishers. Now, almost every interest can take refuge in inked fantasy worlds.\nWilds can't see his audience changing vastly in the future. The predicted demise has had little or no effect on local business, says the employee of Vintage, 114 E. Sixth St. On Wednesdays, "new comics days," customers still crowd the store.\nThe biggest purchasing change locally involves the diverse array of comics available. Instead of one X-Men title to buy every month, there are several, a factor that drives individual book demand down. The same audience is now spread over multiple books instead of one. \nComics today are vastly different than the pencil and ink of the past in more ways than one. It used to be the only thing available were superhero stories, brought to the newsstand through magazine distributors. Today, although Marvel and DC still fly higher than everyone else, some independent publishers have sprung up to offer everything from subtle satirical commentary to crime stories. Comics are distributed through Diamond, one powerful company that sends books to be sold and bought in special comic shops.\nAlthough people seem to be complaining about the abundance of costumed and caped action, about 90 of Diamond's top 100-selling titles for March are spandex-driven. This overall wallet and purse support of the medium and the availability of independent books can lend some hope to comic book fans for the future.\nReaders sick of the patriotic superhero plot can find comics about futuristic and bitter journalists, sarcastic clergymen who befriend vampires or manga, the wide-eyed and cartoony style flown over from Japan in recent years. These books are aimed at an older audience than the comics of before, with plot lines that deal not only with good versus evil, but also human relationships and politics. \n"It seems to be something everyone has been saying for the last 50 years," graduate student Arne Flaten says about the predicted demise. Flaten taught the class The History of Comic Book Art for five semesters.\nCombine these factors, and "Holy cow, Batman!", the comic world seems more unstable than it used to be, say worldly pros such as Warren Ellis and Steven Grant. Ellis writes various books including "Transmetropolitan" with Darick Robertson and has worked on Marvel books before. Grant does various titles, most recently Marvel's "X-man."\nBoth predict the end of innocence. Comics just aren't for kiddies anymore, and soon they might die of old age.\nMuch of the problem could be in the nature of the work. Most lucrative projects don't require the artist to sell his soul to a corporation that's actual standard industry classification is "Dolls and Stuffed Toys."\n"Most of the writers of my generation have gone to Marvel to write superhero comics," writes Ellis in the Dec. 29 installment of his column, "Come in Alone." The column used to run weekly on ComicBookResources.com.\nNothing is wrong with this, of course, unless the writer-artist is concerned with putting something new into the world or maintaining control over what he or she creates, Ellis says. Marvel hires various people to do the same comic, paying royalties and keeping the credit. And Marvel does superhero comics. Think "X-Men" and "Spiderman." \nEllis goes on to compare the proliferation of superhero comics in the genre as going to a bookstore full of nurse novels. There isn't much selection. \nGrant agrees.\n"Superheros, at least to the American public, are goofy costumes and goofy names and ridiculous fight scenes and, as a layover from pre-post-ironic days, corny speeches about Mom and apple pie." \nSuperheros bore Grant now, despite his work with Marvel. Such a job is often the only way a comic star can earn enough money to make a living, he says. \nGrant calls 2001 "The Year of Blood" in his ComicBookResources.com column "Master of the Obvious." \n"Fact: any publisher could change the course of the industry at this point. But they'd have to have a new idea," Grant continues. \n"This is the worst it's ever been," freshman comic junkie Matt Stevons says. Growing up with "Preacher" and looking for a future in the industry, Stevons blames the loss of interest in superheros and comics' poor business model for the decline he sees as inevitable. \nTo save the genre, Stevons thinks the industry must rely more heavily on trade paperbacks and actually produce more "stuff that doesn't suck."\nAt the moment, non-traditional comics are seemingly being accepted as a viable art form, Flaten says. Maus, a 1980s graphic novel depicting the Holocaust from a personified rodent's viewpoint, won creator Art Spiegelman a Pulitzer and is used in university literature courses. Other graphic novels such as "Sandman" and "The Watchmen" are elbowing their way into chain bookstores such as Barnes & Noble with their increased appeal. Everyone can find a comic they are interested in, Flaten says.\nComics have survived McCarthyism, Flaten says. He compares the superhero genre to that of the Greek gods. Superman is essentially Celtic literary hero Beowulf, Flaten says, and interest in the heroes will never completely die. \n"I know there's a crisis … but comics have withstood a lot worse than this," Flaten says.\nWill Superman fly again? Will Wolverine ever stop scowling? Will Spidey ever learn that full body spandex just isn't attractive? \nTo be continued …
(03/29/01 5:00am)
Admit it. Everyone thought they disappeared. \nSix years after the platinum-selling debut Rubberneck and with many movie soundtrack songs in between, the Texas-based Toadies did it again. They produced an album that just screams "Toadies."\nSome bands just have their own sound. Eddie Vedder and 311 have it. So do Green Day and Cake. It's that impenetrable unique sound that gives the band its personality. The Toadies have it from their energy-driven guitars to their intense vocals.\nRejecting the tendency of many modern rockers to abandon their roots, the Toadies ripped an album of Rubberneck-esque howls, insights and volume. \nOpening with a scream, Hell Below/Stars Above brings the boys and girl back for more of the same with a little added maturity. Although still angst-ridden, some of the hopelessness seems to be gone. More than half a decade can do that to you.\nThroughout 12 tracks, the Toadies put out a heavy-layered sound without losing the ferocity of a live show. \nTodd Lewis, vocalist and guitarist, agrees.\n"With this one, we were open to have more harmonies and overdubs to make it a little more lush and produced, without sacrificing the immediacy of the live thing," says Lewis on the band's Web site. \nAnd lush it is. Trading levels of force, the guitars and vocals share the Toadies necessary insecurity and vengeance.\nLyrics from this album show a bit more resolve than Rubberneck's pitying cries on songs such as "Backslider" and its hit, "Possum Kingdom." Yet they still possess the same honesty and disbelief.\nI guess I left myself wide open, sings Lewis on the album's first single, "Push the Hand." Other songs deal with the Toadie-familiar topics, like sin and women, with cleverness. \nIn a world of mediocrity, here is something new worth listening to. Welcome back Toadies.
(03/29/01 5:00am)
Lotus Fest has sprung again, this time sprouting flowers instead of orange leaves. \nLotus Blossoms is the expansion of the autumnal Lotus Festival, an annual world music extravaganza that was host to 100 musicians from 17 countries in 2000. \nThank you standardized testing. Because of the ISTEP, given during the time of the Lotus Fest, and the earliness in the semester, elementary students are unable to fully participate in the educational benefits of world music. \n"The Lotus Education and Arts Foundation is committed to the idea that arts and music can create a non-threatening environment in which children may begin to embrace cultural diversity and be encouraged to see their own culture(s) in an international context," according to a Lotus Blossoms press release. These arty people are doing it for the kids.\nFour international musical groups, Danu, Matapat, Kevin Locke and Sones de Mexico, will join forces to fight the perpetual battle of cultural enlightenment this weekend. Locke, an award-winning Lakota hoop dancer, storyteller and indigenous flute player, and Matapat, the 2000 Lotus Fest-featured trio from Quebec, will tour a combined total of nine schools. Also, Monroe County fourth-graders will be able to attend a Matapat interactive performance and bazaar of international cultures and community organization.\nAbout 300-500 children should be in attendance at each school performance.\nThat's not all -- Redbud Retirement Home will also host the first Lotus-related retirement home show. \nWhile the Lotus Festival is mostly performance, Lotus Blossoms is about 80 percent educational, says Lotus Festival Executive and Artistic Director Lee Williams. \nWhat a great time spring is.\nIt is imperative for diversity to be accepted and understood, especially with the growing number of multicultural people in the United States. The best way to learn is to start young, and what better way to learn then through music?\nLotus Blossoms 2001 is the first of an annual event, which the organizers hope will grow in the future.\n"It's here to stay," Williams says.\nBringing together international artists is no easy task, Williams says. The Blossoms planning committee has been meeting since early last summer, aside from planning the original Lotus Festival. Kids don't get to have all the fun. There will be several free workshops and events for the Blossoms, including one with Guatemalan basket weaver Juanita Velasco. Friday and Saturday nights, the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., will play host to two dirt-cheap concerts, letting people hear music from around the world for only five bucks.\nAnd the excitement doesn't stop there. Both Danu and Matapat have been greeted by cheers in Bloomington before. Locke has friends in the community, and the leader of Sones de Mexico graduated from IU, Williams says. Local ties are ones that bind.\nArt and music consumers in Bloomington are victorious yet again. Lotus is entirely not for profit, meaning the multiple day stays of these famous musicians are paid for by donations, grants and sponsorships.\nWith a larger amount of funding, Williams hopes to bring future artists to town for about five days each. This year, Danu and Sones de Mexico can only stay for two, with Locke and Matapat staying a little while longer. With any luck, Lotus will attain the funding so even more educational opportunities can be offered.\nThe moral of the story: World music is better two times around.
(03/29/01 5:00am)
With a fresh face and pink packaging, youthful country pop star Jessica Andrews has avoided the sophomore slump by knowing who she is. \nComing right off tours with Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Trisha Yearwood, Andrews' vocal strength testifies to years beyond her age. In 2000, Andrews was named the Academy of Country Music's top new female vocalist.\nThe first single and title track of the 17-year-old's newest endeavor speaks with the summertime sweet country girl charm. Andrews' breezy attitude continues throughout all 12 tracks with more self-aware optimism, innocent love songs and smug "I'm a woman now" ballads. Her simple style hooks the unassuming ear. \nWith truthful and comprehensible lyrics, lightly energized guitars and fiddles in the background, Andrews' songs fit her apparent personality. She doesn't try to sing beyond her years and creates an album of comfortable music. \nWrapped in warmth, Andrews' voice mixes the style of LeAnn Rimes with pureness worthy of Faith Hill's younger sister. And evidently learning from both, Andrews also jumps angel-eyes-first into the ever-expanding country crossover market.\n"Helplessly, Hopelessly," a lyrically mild starry-eyed ballad, and "Now I Know," a fiddle funk-backed version of the girl growing up after a lost relationship song, are lemonade-spiked gems. "Who I Am" and "Karma," meanwhile, leave a little too much lemon in the drink.\nOn her Web site, JessicaAndrews.com, Andrews describes the new album as evidence of the change she has experienced in the past few years.\n"Everything I'm doing now is new, from the types of songs I'm singing, to the musicians I'm working with, to the way I see the world. This album is a reflection of all that change."\nFlowing like a flowered skirt with the rhythm of the feet beneath it, Andrews takes many of the best elements of pop country in for her second album. Let's look past the annoying single and see the music Andrews is truly capable of.
(03/29/01 5:00am)
Welcome to the home of rebellion: Rage Against the Machine in Mexico City.\nAfter hurling its music and muscle behind political causes in Mexico, RATM threw its grenade of sound into Mexico City for the first time. Luckily enough, someone was taping.\nRATM plays to a seething crowd of 5,000, everybody thrashing to create a wave in front of the stage. It is easy to see why RATM is successful. The fans are just as intense.\nAlready raging with the first song, "Testify" from The Battle of Los Angeles, the energy comes in a steady downpour for the next 68 minutes. The only breaker to the rounds of sound-fire are the Zach de la Rocha vocalized commentaries on destitution in Mexico.\nReciting the plight of the Zapatista rebellion, the evils of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the student fight for justice, RATM not only entertains but educates. The sincere concern of the band and the horrifying statistics are enough to make an activist out of anyone. \nWhen the musicians are onstage, they convey the same passion. From the vehement vocals of de la Rocha to the collective trashing of Tom Morello, Tim C. and Brad Wilk, the onstage fire never wavers. With sweat trailing down his brow, de la Rocha's joyless, fevered and passionate expressions show the faces behind the songs.\nMost of the tracks are from The Battle of Los Angeles, but the Zapatista-inspired "People of the Sun" and explosive "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name" are also included. \nThe only detrimental points to the video have nothing to do with the performance. Jerky and oddly placed stills interfere with the rhythm of the music and frustrated me to the point of cursing. Had the concert not been processed in the hands of technological wizards, it would be much better. \nOtherwise "The Battle of Mexico City" makes the reason behind the roaring of RATM visual. Without letting down, the video is true to the band's most important fans: the politically purged who are fighting for justice.\nJust witness the war with a good set of speakers.
(03/22/01 5:00am)
Janas Hoyt is late. \nIt is evening at the Soma coffeehouse, an eclectic scene of students, coffee-mongers, a variety of fliers and splashes of artwork. Seated across the table is Heather Craig, violinist of the Mary Janes, the local band that Hoyt says plays "American music from the Midwest" and is celebrating the national release of Flame, the band's second CD, this week.\nBefore adding a deep and stringy sound to the Mary Janes, Craig got her start in classical music. Beginning at age 4, she continued until high school at Interlochen Arts Academy, the somewhat famous school in Interlochen, Mich., where she discovered playing classical violin professionally was not for her. It is too competitive for a non-combatant personality. After attending IU for a year, Craig took time off and began to jam with friends and loosen up. Enter mutual friend of Janas Hoyt's and poof -- the two are now one. \nCraig took the place of Cathy Kolata and, later, Carolyn Balfe. After about four years of MJ experience, Craig recorded in the studio for the first time for Flame. The string section, also usually including violinist-violist Megan Weeder, is much of what separates the Mary Janes from other Americana type adventures. Not too many bands have violinists, and they add something unique to the sound, says Craig. \n \nCraig: "I think it depends on the music. I know that some of the definitions that have come up with this band, the strings are somewhere between rhythm and melody. I think they switch back and forth. There are a lot of really rhythmic parts. It's not really flashy. It's not supposed to be real busy and flashy; it's more of a tone and a shape. We don't have lead guitar, as a general rule … To me what's nice about the strings is that it adds depth. Sometimes you can play without bass, you can play without other instruments because of the fullness of the sound. That's interesting."
(03/22/01 5:00am)
I have bleeding ears.\nWe are a generation of attractive suburbanites, raised on rock 'n' roll and music culture. We grew up on pop. Our parents were singing along to oldies and '80s radio airplay while we were in our formative years. \nWe are what we were raised on. The media is our model for life, be it dress, action or material belongings. We buy what they sell us, in various shades of plum and cherry red, orange and slate gray. We watch their moving pictures on an electrical box and fill in what we miss with their glossy pages. \nOur music is our declaration of individuality. Yet our declaration of individuality seems to fall within a range of 40 choices. We submit to boy bands and Britney Spears joyfully, while displaying a mock protest to amuse our peers. We live in an apartment filled with the latest emotional rock CDs and attend concerts of the bands that could be pureed into the same bland flavor of eggplant milkshake. \nI have a lurching stomach.\nSuddenly, the musicians start to come together. They are everywhere, in your classes, waiting on your tables and making your drinks. They ride your bus and shop at your mall. And they are angry. \nA generation of attractive suburbanites has ignored the misfits on the wayside. The lost music makers who want nothing more than to play original music and hear something unique come from the major music labels. \nThey meet in the dark, in smoke-filled bars. They are drawn to the anti-stages, the few platforms for original music in Bloomington. They practice in basements. They are music club.\nThe first rule of music club is you talk about local music. The second rule of music club is you talk about local music. The third rule of music club is the fight will never be over. The fourth rule, everyone is invited to fight. Fight for music all the time. Invent project music. \nThey dispense homemade CDs as weaponry against the cover bands and everyband radio airplay. They get gigs at the Cellar Lounge, Secret Sailor, Rhino's and a few other venues. You have names in music club. Indiana Trip Factory. Blue Moon Revue. You. Crooked County, etc.\nThere are music clubs all over the nation. Seattle, Lafayette, Austin. Musicians gather in the dark venues unattended by many a populace. And they talk about music club. And more people join.\nIn the real world, people buy a CD after watching "TRL." In the real world, Sony and Atlantic decide who will sell the most albums this year. Music club will infiltrate the real world one by one, until everyone is aware of the good music growing under their noses and around the street corner. \nCorporate and media America is seeking to control the mind of every unsuspecting sap out there, and music club is only one small, widely unsupported protester. Local musicians trying to put something new into the world.\nSupport local music, or one day we might all have bleeding ears.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
Crooked County was driving home from a show in Texas when the always welcome sound of police sirens echoed through the air. Worried he would be ticketed for speeding, guitarist-vocalist Jason Purnell was talking to the officer when the copper noticed the cowboy hats lining the dash.\nJason explained that he, his brother and fellow guitarist-vocalist Toby Purnell, bassist-vocalist Merrie Sloan and drummers Mark Minnick and Travis Olsson compose a country band. As innately interested in fame and music as anyone, the cop let the band leave for a promise to mention his name and a bumper sticker. \nLesson of a band No. 1: Life is good. \nReal country music is honest. It goes beyond the glam of rock or image-propelled rap and is driven by the souls of real people, whether or not they get divorced or lose their truck. Crooked County is no exception. With a mix of pick-worthy country rock and dressed-down bluegrass, the band unleashes Bloomington's finest whiskey-driven and unapologetic sound. \nThe band mixes a sweet drink with its two guitars, upright bass, dual drum kits and three-part harmonies that float down with a burn. The lyrics are punchy and delivered with alternating parts yee-haw fun and the perceptive twang of hard-life sadness.\nFormed in the mid-'90s as a bluegrass band, Crooked County soon transformed to deliver its now country rock style. \n"It kind of just grew into that, the way we were writing songs and the way we were all playing," Jason says. Toby says that the sound also transformed when the band gained its first drummer, Minnick. Olsson joined later. \nSloan threw in enticing female vocals and a solid upright bass rhythm when she joined, diversifying the formerly all-male sound. She is beauty and intensity furled into a tall frame and red hair, a fire evident in her songwriting. \nLesson of a band No. 2: Be rowdy. And sing about it.\nThe songs are the band's strength. Beyond the musical talent and energy of the band, each tune touches base with old-time country roots and the raucous of young musicians. \nNinety percent of the songs are true stories, say the writers Jason, Toby and Sloan. Spun around experience, songs off the demo from the upcoming CD, Drunkard's Lament, weave a web of personal relationships, trouble and drinking problems. The most poignant of the six, "Drunk and Gamble," came about when Jason was lying on a beach and saw a group of people crying while dropping ashes and flower petals into the ocean. \nLesson of a band No. 3: Be honest. \nThe vocals convey the lyrics perfectly. Toby is low and gravely, Jason smooth and swaying while Sloan hits the notes with feeling. The three alternate between lead and backing vocals. \nWhile it might seem that two drummers could lead to a heavy sound, Minnick and Olsson convey the opposite, swinging a solid and uncluttered rhythm.\nThe music reflects the musicians; they are as friendly and unassuming as their tunes. \nCrooked County's southern Indiana country breeds in a town that doesn't offer too much of the same. But when the group played to a packed room in the Cellar Lounge two weeks ago, the crowd was dancing and whooping. \nYet the band doesn't only have local appeal. Whiskey Burns, released in 1999, sold many copies overseas through MP3.com and MilesofMusic.com. The success helped lead to the band's record deal with Rustic Records, whose Phoenix studios was host to the recording of much of the new album.\nTo be released sometime in April, Drunkard's Lament will no doubt sell copies of the "whiskey-driven, country fried" sound. The six-song demo mixes energy with lamenting for a national release that is sure to propel the band's success. \nLesson of a band No. 4: Play real, unapologetic country music. Don't succumb to the pop market. Do what you love and push your potential. Some day: revel in success. \nCrooked County will play at the Cellar Lounge, 123 S. Walnut St., on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.
(03/08/01 5:00am)
Energy is heaven. No. 36, the Indianapolis show, mixes the tremendousness of one of the only old, good bands that hasn't sold out with the spontaneity of live performance and the charming commentary of Eddie Vedder.\nThrowing itself into the cheering atmosphere of Deer Creek Music Center, now called the Verizon Wireless Music Center, with the heavy "Interstellar Overdrive," Pearl Jam spans its repertoire with both classics and Binaural material.\nThe first few songs hit the ears hard and fast with fury in the music. Although explosive, the sound is executed perfectly. Vedder's screams are both enthralling and chilling. \nThe supernova that is Pearl Jam flows through every song, leaving a thankful audience in its wake. Pearl Jam's passion in the same songs once recorded in a studio is even more real and intense live. It is as if some wild animal with a grievance and a dream was let loose on the stage. But this crazy mary was blessed with rock.\nIn the heart of the first leg of the tour, this small town was witness to 29 songs of pure quality. \nPearl Jam tames the beast with a soulful rendition of "Betterman." Vedder's cool-toned voice is the loudest among many, as the entire crowd is singing along. The sad story of a girl blasts into fire at the end, with Vedder given to a flying yell with the line "Don't run away." This is definitely one of the prime tracks from the show. \nDeer Creek's night of amazement ends up with a nine-song encore after Vedder says the night is too beautiful to leave yet.\nVedder is as convinced as the roaring audience that the concert is amazing. \n"I never would have thought this about Indiana, but ... last night in Nashville it felt like hell, so Indiana feels like heaven"
