Arts & Entertainment
Lincoln band embarks on maiden tour
_ Courtesy of Thomas Irvin
Elysium Crossing
By Carter Van Pelt
Staff Reportar
Among the numerous milestones
en route to the success of a rock ‘n’
roll band is the groundbreaking first
tour. The chance to gain exposure on
a wide scale is fundamental to the
progress of most bands.
Lincoln band Elysium Crossing,
which is about to enter its fifth year of
existence, has just taken this fateful
step. The dates for the tour were
ambitiously arranged by bassist Jul
ian Vermaas, who had sent press kits
to clubs and then followed up with
phone calls to arrange dates.
Band members Shamus Adams,
Michael Arsenault, Marty Klabunde,
Thomas Irvin and Vermaas took to
the road this month to play dates in
Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago.
They recounted their week on the
road, adding that they hope to follow
this tour up with others as soon as
possible.
The first gig took place in Minnea
polis on the Uptown Theatre’s New
Band Night where the band played to
a small but receptive audience.
“We basically rocked the house,”
Irvin said.
After the success of the shows in
Minneapolis, “we felt like we were
playing in a new league,” he said.
The band was made conscious of
the mystique that has been left on
city by the legend of rock star Prince.
Band members even met a guy who
claimed to have been Prince’s janitor
at one time.
After Monday night’s gig, the band
discovered a new method for eco
nomical accommodations while on
tour. They checked into motels at the
earliest possible hour, usually around
9 a.m., slept all day, played a show
that evening and then slept all night
before checking out This earned them
two nights’ sleep for the price of one.
On Wednesday, they checked out
Seventh Street where they would be
returning to play in several weeks.
The adjoining club, First Avenue, is
See CROSSING on 10
ARB’s borrowed lyrics and approach
create enjoyable, danceable collection
By Shannon Uehling
Staff Reporter
Take a jammin’ dance beat and
some sassy raps, borrow some lines
from various cliches and add some
sampling and what you come up with
is “The Hard and Soft” by ARB.
Despite the similarity in names,
the opening track “New Jac City” has
nothing to do with the movie “New
Jack City.” However, it is a combina
tion of Marvin Gaye-ish soulful sing
ing by Darryl Adams (from Basic
Black) and a short rap by Timmy
Arthur near the end.
The only mellow song on the en
tire album is the second tune, “All or
Nothing.” This well-done piece is as
sappy as anything Bobby Brown might
!do. It is a ballad that, in its beginning,
is about undying love that takes a turn
for the worse when the couple breaks
! up.
“I want you to know that I have
I found someone/ Someone who cares
with love and affection/ The girl is
perfect, but there’sonequestion/That
I’d like to ask, love/Was it a waste?”
He goes on to ask why his first love
couldn’t have been the one.
The only problem with “All or
Nothing” is that the foreground vo
—Is are somewhat difficult to hear
ARB
“1 he Hard and Soft”
Motown Records
Rating: 4
Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent).
over the background wailing. This is
especially true with the first half of
the song when the female singer Ko
Ko sings.
“Crank It Up” is the third track.
Because it uses a mixture of jazz, a
busy drum track and fast-paced raps,
the song is almost over-killed. At
best, it is an ideal dance tune because
of its beat.
Probably the worst song on the
album is “Just Music.” The whole
thing is made up almost entirely of
the two lines “It’s just music/ It’s
music.” This redundancy can get on
the nerves of the most patient person.
The feminist listeners in the audi
ence will probably enjoy “It’s a
Woman’s Thang,” the bonus track. It
starts out with the lines “Now it’s
your turn to see how it feels/ Being
used as an object of sex appeal.”
As the story unfolds, Ko Ko raps
about her rich, lazy man and how she
plans to leave him, taking the dia
monds and furs that he gave her.
The most blatant use of sampling
occurs near the end of “It’s a Woman’s
Thang.” ARB samples Snapl’s line
“I’ve got the power” without credit
ing the band.
Two of the songs on the second
side seem to have borrowed elements.
“Make You Sweat” is a title that is
almost an institution in itself. Keith
Sweat and C&C Music Factory have
both used this title, and now ARB
jumps on the bandwagon.
Which came first: ARB or Vanilla
Ice? Both use the hoarsely whispered
refrain of “Workit, workit, workit.
workit,” in the background of a song.
Given the track record of the two
artists, either could have copied from
the other.
No one can say that ARB doesn’t
have a sense of humor. The band
displays this in the song “Cuttin’ Like
Jason.” That’s right, Jason. As in Friday
the 13th. Even Freddy makes his way
into the lyrics. But that’s not what
See ARB on 10
Save your money; ‘China’
a good idea turned bad
By Jim Hanna
Senior Reporter
You’re faced with a big choice:
Either go see the new movie “China
Cry” or throw a five-dollar bill on an
open fire.
Hmmm ... decisions, decisions.
All things considered, you’d be
better off torching your Abe Lincolns.
You might at least be able to toast a
marshmallow over the flame of your
burning bill.
“China Cry” is an exceptionally
bad movie that is bound to make you
yearn for your wasted cash at the end.
The premise of the movie is inter
esting. It is based upon the true story
of a woman’s suffering and eventual
escape from China at the height of the
Communist Revolution. The woman,
Neng Yee (Julia Nickson-Soul), is a
top student at Soochow University in
Shanghai. She is also a dedicated
supporter of the revolution.
Her father is a well-respected doctor
in a local hospital. Neng Yce’s prob
lems begin when her father is inexpli
cably demoted from his position and
“China Cry” u
- Starring Julia I*
v-NIckson-Soul.
Russel Wong -
f *
i'ZI
Rated PG-13
’*j / Rating: 1
- i
l*
is forced to scrub floors as part of his ! I|
labor re-education.
Eventually, the family is forced '•
from its home and separated. Neng '
Yee perseveres, however, and contin
ues to be an advocate for the revolu
tion and its ideals. She also manages
to marry a sensitive man, Lam (Russel
Wong), who wears Western clothes.
She earns a highly touted teaching
position at a Chinese military school
where she is in charge of educating
See CHINA on 10
Morrison updates jazz
by using technology
By James Finley
Staff Reporter
Old-time jazz finally meets up
with new technologies, and the result
is incredible.
James Morrison (not Jim, he’s
dead) uses ’90s recording technolo
gies to create one of the best al
bums to come along in quite some
time. Playing trumpet, trombone,
saxophone, euphonium (baritone)
and piano at one time or another
(sometimes at the same time),
Morrison showcases his own ver
satility as well as the potential for
editing.
This album is structured a little
differently, as the first side is strictly
Morrison playing with the stan
dard backing trio. This is made up
of Ray Brown on bass, Herb Ellis
on guitar and Jeff Hamilton on
drums.
The second side is devoted to
big band arrangements, with Mor
rison playing all the horn parts.
The overdubbing is not noticeable,
and it is impossible to tell that it is
one man playing all the parts in
stead of a real band.
In the quartet songs, Morrison
James Morrison
‘‘Snappy Doo”
Atlantic Jazz
Rating: 5
Ratings are 1 (bad) to S (excellent).
solos on trumpet and trombone,
but he also shares the spotlight
with the other members. Ellis puts
in several great solos, always in the
style, and each one different from
the one before.
Morrison shows off his ability
to play many styles as well as many
instruments on the first side. He
includes some slow ballads, tradi
tional swing and be-bop tunes on
this side, and he does them all
equally well. A special note goes
to the second song, “Bui Beauti
ful,” which is one of the smoothest
See MORRISON on 10
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Usa Pytlk /Dally Nebraskan