Thursday, December 2, 1982
Page 10
Daily Nebraskan
Locally produced 'Original Score' is music
talk
By Jeff Goodwin
Pat Higgins, the host
"half music and half talk,
but not as funny."
Billy Shaffer, one of
"technically one of the
of "Original Score," says it's
Kind of like David Letterman,
the artists featured, says it's
best locally oroduced shows
I ve ever seen, a vast improvement over the initial shows."
Brad Pribyl, the producer and director, calls it the first
attempt at using television as a medium to do interviews
and also videos on a local level.
"Original Score" is a one-hour music video show being
shown Friday at 8 pjn. on community access cable
channel 10. It will be reshown Saturday at 4 pjn. and
8:30 pjn. and Sunday at 7 pjn.
In addition to Shaffer, the artists featured are Jim
Jacobi and the Crap Detectors, Movie Eyes and a group
frpm Minneapolis called the Suburbs.
The show, which premiered in September, already has
featured other local musicians such as John Walker and
Sean Benjamin.
-Another show, which will feature R.E.M., a group that
played at the Drumstick in October and was recently
featured in Rolling Stone, is already being planned.
Pribyl said the show started off with few preconcep
tions. "We were just experimenting," he said. "We basically
just tried it."
He said the show also will be shown in Omaha on
the Cox Cable hookup. There are plans of going nation
wide. '
"We have plans of distributing it all over the country
on access channels cn cable," he said.
Pribyl also has hopes of finding funding for the show.
"So far the money has come out of my pocket. Hope
fully we can find some investors or get some grants."
Higgins, a former, writer for the Daily Nebraskan and
currently a reporter for the Omaha Sun, admits that he
was "intimidated at first, but by the next show I think
IH be legitimately good. The trick is not to let the camera
intimidate you."
Higgins, who said his ambition is to be the next Tom
Snyder, said television newsmen gave him confidence that
he could succeed.
"I figured from watching TV news teams in action
that if they could do it, anyone could."
Pribyl said future shows probably will feature one
type of music.
"One show might be blues, one might be reggae in
fluenced," he said. "We intend to cover all aspects of
all kinds of music. It's just not going to be rock'n'roll."
Pribyl said the show is always on the lookout for new
talent. He said such local groups, as The Click are likely
candidates for future shows.
Pribyl has taken broadcasting courses at UNL and has
spent the last seven years doing audio work with local
music groups.
Continued on Page 1 1
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THE DREAMING
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Singer warbles and scolds, Steel Breeze debut LP offers
makes the difficult seem easy freshness that's hard to beat
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
EMI America
Kate Bush is one of those few refreshing artists who
create their own category. Her music is an original blend
of insightful and touching lyrics and virtuoso singing. She
is from England and is very popular in Europe. But as
is often the case in the United States, her originaltiy
has not gone unpunished.
Her first stateside release in 1978, "The Kick Inside,"
achieved a minor success on FM airwaves with "Them
Heavy People," a song indicative of the album, and one
you probably don't remember. With its emphasis on
love, seduction and inner strengths, her new LP, "The
Dreaming," continues in that same vein lyrically, but
the new sound is beefed up with a rockier beat and
synthesizers. In fact, the liner sleeve states: "This album
was made to be played loud." The overall result is better
than ever.
Bush's singing shows the basic trait of a master: the
difficult seems easy. Mix the control of a Beverly Sills,
the emotional intensity of a Barbra Streisand and the
theatricality and uniqueness of Nina Hagen, and you
get some idea of the capabilities of this chanteuse. Some
singeis hit notes. Kate Bush caresses them, scolds them,
warbles them and jumps right down their throats, some
times all in the same line. Bush also is an accomplished
pianist and synthesizer player, in addition to writing
and arranging all the works on "The Dreaming." Her
backup band consists of no big namesbut their technical
proficiency renders the point moot.
It is a mystery to me how such a talented and original
artist such as Kate Bush can go largely unnoticed in this
country, while crowds are clammering for her in Europe.
It could be EMI'i lack of hype or the fact that she has
never performed in the United States. Whatever the
reason, if justice be done, "The Dreaming" will serve
to rectify that oversight.
Billy Shaffer
Steel breeze
Steel Breeze
RCA
A 6-year-old breath of fresh rock 'n' roll air is blowing
across the country. Steele Breeze's self -titled debut
album is hotter than a California Santa Anna wind in
the dog days of August.
"You Don't Want' Me Anymore" is the national smash
from the LP, which was produced by the legendary Kim
Fowley who produced the Runaways (Joan Jett's first
group) and Alice Cooper.
The song is the first track on the A side of the al
bum. Such placing of hits is enough to make a record
company executive go into nervous histeria, with fear
that no one will get to the rest of the album.
The people at RCA have absolutely nothing to fear.
Every song on the album has hit potential "1 Think
About You," "Every Night," "I Can't Wait" and "Who's
Gonna Love You Tonight" have mega-profit smash
potential.
The band sounds very much like the Tubes without
the outlandish lyrics, or Cheap Trick without the candy
coating. The combination comes together to form a very
clean but hard-hitting sound.
The tonsils of Steel Breeze, one Ric Lawlor, adds
the crowning touch with a smoky-sounding vocal per
formance. The versitality of the band allows them to
play pop, rock, slow material and one song, "Street
Talkin'," that has definite reggae flavoring.
The band members evidently believe in themselves
and their product in a flooded market of conformity.
Tired of being on the northern California club circuit
after six years, the band put the touch" on some rich
friends and amassed a small borrowed fortune of
$120,000. The nrxt stop was a local studio for some
self-produced demo tapes.
One tape contained a song so popular locally that
radio station KZAP-FM in Sacramento put the song in
its top rotation. The catchy little ditty was called "You
Don't Want Me Anymore."
The rest is, as they say, history.
Get a couple of friends, your swimsuit and a pair of
sunglasses, then gather round the stereo. It's going to
be a long winter.
Randy Wymore
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Chilliwack's Opus X deemed
'a cold slap of rock 9n' roll9
OpusX
Chilliwack
Millenium
What do you call a cold slap of rock 'n 'roll?
A Chilliwack.
That's how the radio spot promoting Chilliwack's
new album "Opus X" starts out. The spot doesn't lie.
Chilliwack is not just another new Canadian band.
Loverboy hadn't gone through puberty and Rush was
still on the logging camp circuit when this three-man band
was recording its first albums. "Opus X" is just what it:
says - the 10th LP from this mainstream band.
This music is not from left field. One listen confirms
it.
From the pulsing "Don't It Make You Feel Good"
to the infectious chord changes and harmonies of
"Whatcha Gonna Do" (the current single), from the
dreamlike, folksy "Midnight" to the groove of "She Don't
Know," Chilliwack is its own band with its own style.
The group sounds a little like Toto, but that isn't neces
sarily a detraction.
Probably the only other song by the band that you
may be familiar with is last fall's Top 10 "My Girl (Gone,
Gone, Gone)," which marked the band's arrival to the
fickle music scene.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Artists (CARAS)
and Juno (Tthe Canadian Grammy) recognized the band
with awards and award nominations last winter. The good
news for Chilliwack fans is that "Opus X" is better than
the album that included last fall's hit.
Chilliwack is definitely a contender for play on the
established airwaves.
"Opus X" by Chtfliwack, a cold slap of rock'n'roll.
Thanks. I needed that.
Randy Wymore