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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1990)
Arts & Entertainment Spastic Lubricated Goat to rock Lincoln By Micnaei ueeas Senior Editor Australian dementia rockers Lu bricated Goat will bring their eclectic and widely diverse sound to Duffy’s c o PjpR^ii— Tavern, 1412 O St., tonight. Led by frcak/psychopath Stu Spasm, whose vocal delivery ranges from ethereal to downright sick, the Goat guys pound out an infectious form of grungy weirdness. Their first LP, released in the United States by Amphetamine Reptile Rec ords, is titled4 ‘Lubricated Goat Plays the Devil’s Music.” This devilish stuff ranges from Cramps-style Frankenstein anthems to an absolutely genius Barry White spoof, ‘‘Can’t Believe We’re Really Making Love.” Strange noises and instruments litter the Goat’s path, and comparisons to a Sub Pop Butthole Surfers are in order. Besides wrapping rubber bands around their faces for fun, Spasm, along with Martin Bland, Rcnastair E.M. and Lachlan McLeod concentrate on quality tunes, floundering for a little conciseness in the midst of the tangle. On record, Lubricated Goat man ages to spew out a series of gastro nomic and sick sounds, especially on “Anal Injury.” The band boasts a reputation of living up to the sound effects onstage through pedals and slides. The band is kicking off their sec ond U.S. tour, bringing their show to Duffy’s for the first time. For a rous ing taste of the foreign and the wicked, check it out. Opening will be Jonestown, an other Amphetamine Reptile band from Minneapolis. Cover is $5. Show starts at 10 p.m. Lubricated Goat Fluffy Curious release lacks energy, substance By John Payne Senior Reporter Bobby Curious “Bobby Curious” If nothing else, the self-titled release from Bobby Curious may be the only cassette tape of original songs that sound like covers. Very old, very tired covers. But they’re not; they’re originals -- all eight of them. So after listening to this stale recording by Lincoln bc-boppers Bobby Kennedy, Jim Beavers and Matt Gauthier, all one can do is marvel at the group’s ability to make brand new songs sound like rehash. Undoubtedly, that has a lot to do with Bobby’s vocal harmonies, which fall somewhere between The Partridge Family and a long-de fund Lincoln trio knows as The Finnsters. Thiscollection certainly used the same soft 1960s melodics - The Beatles, The Monkeys, Lovin’ Spoonful -- that The Finnsters employed incessantly during their tenure as Lincoln’s premier party band. That sound may not have made Bobby Curious a household name, but it has made them a pretty big draw locally. It’s propelled them way past Lie Awake to their cur rent status of “The Lincoln Band.” And like any respectable cover band, their fluff has been more than suit able for the local bars and frater nity houses. But whatever fun can be had listening to Bobby Curious live, say, at a large, greek-dominated meat market while you pound cheap liquor, hasn’t transferred onto tape. Cover bands like Bobby Curious thrive off a ‘ ‘party in’, dancin' dude” mentality that floods their bar gigs. But there’s not much excitement here. Instead, there is just Kennedy and Beaver cooing sickeningly See BOBBY on 10 Increased Lied student sales attributed to timing, more events By Pat Dinslage Staff Reporter , The Lied Center for Performing Arts, which began its second pefor mance season on Sept. 11, may be attracting more UNL students to its events this season. According to Cheryl Clark, Lied marketing director, a much larger percentage of total ticket sales for single events were bought by Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln students on the first day of sales, Aug. 27. Students bought 15 percent of the total number of tickets, Clark said, compared to 2 percent during the first day of sales last season. But the increase could be primar ily due to “timing,” Clark said. “Last year, the general public got a head start on single ticket sales because the first day of sales was on Jan. 8, when the students were still on semester break,” Clark said. This season, the first day of single ticket sales was the first day of school, Aug. 27, she said. A greater number of students were on campus at that time, which could account for the increase. The greater number of events sched uled by the Lied Center this season also could be a reason for increased sales. During the premier season, January through April, Lied offered 15 events and 29 performances. This season, 39 events and 58 perform ances are scheduled, she said. “We try to program some events specifically for what appeals to stu dents. For example, we offer a stu dent scries — a play, jazz (and) con temporary music, like the Kronos Quartet, a popular string quartet who has performed before in Lincoln,” Clark said. The student series also includes jazz performers Lionel Hampton (who performed Sept. 19) and Branford Marsalis, “The Playboy of the West ern World,’ ’ a play, and the pop music ensemble, Pioneer. Clark said she doesn’t think stu dent ticket prices for performances are excessive. Student ticket prices are half of the general public price, with the exception of the musical “Cats.” She said most tickets range from $5 to $13, with the exception of “Cats” and the Kirov Ballet. “We couldn’t give students half price (for “Cats”) because of the (performance) contracts. In many places, no discounts are allowed,” Clark said. Lied has arranged a $5 discount on the performance for UNL students. “A S10 ticket to sec a live event, like “The Playboy of the Western World” play is reasonable to me,” she said. “Students have to decide for themselves and compare the value of high-quality entertainment with the other options open to them.” “Playboy” is a play familiar to students and The Abbey Theatre group from Dublin is1 ‘very highly regarded.’ ’ she said. Students and the general public had a chance to buy series tickets from about May 15 through August 17. In an effort to reach the student audiences, the Lied Center advertised in the Daily Nebraskan in May. be fore advertising to the general public, for series ticket sales. “We wanted to make sure stu dents had the first announcement of series ticket sales,” she said. Licd’s primary target audiences are adults from 25 to 54 years old and UNL students, she said. The Lied Center tries each year to attract more students to the perform ances, Clark said. See LIED on 10 Bluesy tradition continues Album powerful showcase for Cray Band’s talent Courtesy of Polygram Racords By Michael Deeds Senior Editor Robert Cray Band “Midnight Stroll’’ Polygram Records Robert Cray has become synony mous with honest, hardworking mu sic during the past few years, pump ing the resurgence of blues with his blend of rock, R & B, soul and raw energy. “Midnight Stroll” continues in the bluesy tradition, but pushes the soul a little further on this consistently lis tenable collection of upbeat rockers. With the addition of the Memphis Homs, a.k.a. Wayne Jackson, and Andrew Love, the Robert Cray Band now is more than a guitar showcase. The band pops out slithering brass lines to fill out Cray’s string attack, always backed by that funk-influenced backbcat. On ‘‘The Forecast (Calls For Pain),” the album’s catchiest riff, Cray moans a mountain of blues-drenched sorrow over clean-cut jamming. His songwriting, though never inventive, always is strong in the traditional sense, with wisened lyrics of almost fatherly advice. “Consequences” follows closely behind “Forecast” as the biggest foot tapper, and Cray tells it like it is in this song about men with wandering eyes. “Not a day goes by that a man doesn’t have tochoosc/Bctwecn what he wants, what he’s afraid to lose/ Along comes temptation/And he knows he can’t refuse, no.” But Cray points out the “Conse quences” of such testosterone-pow ered ventures, and with such a pas sioned vigor that it’s tough not to feel a little guilty for things you didn’t even do. Cray is the master of modem blues insinuation. Although he leaves the old double-meanings back with greats like Blind Lemmon Jefferson, he still manages to add enough reflection to generate true thought, even today. But reading too much into Cray’s songwriting may be a mistake -- his universal topic is love, which never grows old. “The Things You DoTo Me” and “Labor of Love” both are evidence of Cray’s romantic addiction, and “Bouncin ’ Back” shows the pain that comes with such territory. “Her name came up today/To my surprise/My eyes watered up/But I didn’t cry . . . I’m finally bouncin’ back.” Cray obviously grooves on his lyrics as well as his jams, but the fresh, mildly chorused guitar sound is the foundation for this album. Always distinctive, never showy, Cray proves once again why he is such a force on the blues circuit. The six men behind him never should be left out of the credits, ci ther, especially guitarist Tim Kaihulsu, who has toured with greats like Buddy Guy. But in the end, it is Cray who makes these musicians the blues ti tans they arc, and “Midnight Stroll” is an excellent showcase for their talents. “Midnight Stroll” is an en thusiastic piece of work by a hell of a band.
