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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1992)
9 Arts & Entertainment Station’s new format to serve up ‘palatable’ hard rock, classic hits By Jill O'Brien Staff Reporter Finding 106.3 on your F\1 dial is easier than finding the radio station's building tw o miles south of Old Cheney Road. Although the radio waves issuing from 4949 Yankee Hill Road still are as easy to find on the dial, their sounds have changed. Harvey Tate, the radio station's president and chief executive officer, said Mix 106 was reformatted in early March. Instead of playing w hat Tate called “adult contemporary music," the new station, KIBZ, “The Blaze." features a combination of hard rock and clas sic rock, he said. The radio station eliminated the adult contemporary formal to intro duce new songs, new albums and new hard-rock artists. Tate described the new formal as “ new music which is very palatable and is not heavy metal." Gabe Baptiste, operations director and program manager of KIBZ, said the new station plays songs by Nir vana, Pearl Jam, Mctallica, the Black Crowes and other artists like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd — classic artists who influenced the 1990s generation of rock ‘n' roll. “We play everything that comes under the guidelines of energetic rock 'n‘ roll,” Baptiste said. According to Baptiste, songs that fall under the guidelines are tunes you can sing in the shower— melodi ous songs. “It doesn't have to be popular when we start with it," he said, “because nothing ever is w hen you first start, but it does have to have those mark ings.” Baptiste also is a disc jockey for KIBZ. Talc’s radio career, which goes back to ld47. mainly has been in the album-oriented rock (AOR) field. After the Nixon era. AOR remained. Tale said, but only as an echo of the ‘60s and early ‘70s. The best AOR became lost in the system when it was forced to submit to a standardized radio formal. Today, album-oriented rock sta tions rarely play anything new1, he said. Some album stations follow a safe format by refusing to play a song until it becomes a hit. Tate said he started to w onder what had happened to the great rock n' roll that never had been introduced to the public. His search for the lost rock inspired the format for KIBZ. See RADIO on 10 Cadillac Tramps bringing ‘psychobilly’ to Duffy’s From Staff Reports The band that gave birth to “psy chobilly” returns to Lincoln tonight, as the Los Angeles-based Cadillac Tramps makes its first appearance at Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St. The band, which opened for the Beat Farmers in September at P.O. Pears, is touring in support of its self titled debut on Doctor Dream Rec ords. Although the band formed in 1987, the Cadillac Tramps is actually the product of California’s punk scene of the late ’70s. The most obvious influ cnees arc ihc Blasters, Los Lobos and X—L.A.’sgrcat musical triumvirate of the early ’80s. The Tramps gained a strong fol lowing in Orange County, Calif., working alongside fellow L.A. bands like Social Distortion and T.S.O.L, but its sound is more than leftover punk. Vocalist Mike Gaborno, guitarists Brian Coaklcy and Jonny Wicker sham, bassist Warren Renfrow and drummer Jamie Rcidling blend their collective punk-rockabilly roots with a renewed interest in Motown soul. The band calls the mixture — espe cially in its live form — “psycho billy.” Cover charge is S5. Courtesy ot Twentieth Century Fox Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci, right) drops a bombshell in “My Cousin Vinny”: Judge Chamber lain Haller (Fred Gwynne, center) is perplexed when the inexperienced defense counsel puts his own fiancee Lisa (Marisa Tomei, left on the stand ... as a hostile witness. My Cousin Vinny funny, brilliant; Pesci’s performance steals the show “My Cousin Vinny” By Gerry Beltz Staff Reporter If you’re looking for a satirical version of an old “Perry Mason" epi sode, then look no further. “My Cousin Vinny” (Plaza 4, Edgewood 3) is in town with a favorable verdict. The story unfolds with Bill Gam bini (Ralph Macchio of the “Karate Kid”)and Stan Rothcnslcin (Mitchell Whitfield of “Reversal of Fortune”) getting arrested for murder in a small Southern town because of some fairly bizarre circumstances. They need a good lawyer, but for a reasonable price. Enter Vinny (Joe Pcsci of “Goo dfcllas”), the lawyer of the Gambini family. He, along with his fiancee Lisa (Marisa Tomci of TV's “A Dif ferent World”), comes rolling into town with the drive and desire to succeed. Of course, he’s never been in a courtroom before, let alone tried a murder case. Vinny describes it best as his “first foray into the trial proc ess.” He has been practicing personal injury law for about six weeks and has taken the bar exam justas many times. Anyway, he’s the only hope Bill and Stan have got. Add one tough country judge named Chamberlain Haller (Fred Gwynne of “The Munsters), who is a stickler for correct courtroom procedure and gains an extreme dislike for Vinny, and you’ve got an extremely funny movie. Maechio and Whitfield do fairly well in their roles as New York young sters up to their necks in trouble, but we don’t get to see much of them. As it turns out, their roles in this film are minor, even though they arc the de fendants. Gwynne is terrific as the no-non sense judge. His low, grave voice is just right for this role. Whenever he shows up on the screen you can be sure for a good laugh or two. Also turning in a wonderful per formance is Tomci as Vinny’s cagcr to-plcasc fiancee. At first, one might expect her to be a typical bimbo side- . kick, but she ends up almost stealing the film from the rest of the cast. The film, however, belongs to Pesci. He has made an excellent transition from his chilling, Oscar-w inning performance in “Goodfcllas" to the unorthodox antics of Vinny. Directed by Jonathan Lynn (“Clue"), “My Cousin Vinny" is a riot from start to finish. The court room scenes arc especially hilarious, between the mix of Gwynnc’s strict following of courtroom procedure and Pcsci’s sarcasm toward anyone who opposes him. They definitely arc the best parts of the movie. Also worth mentioning is the brief subplot of Vinny’s attempted collec tion of a debt from one of the local townspeople in which he risks gelling the snot beat out of him. h is an absolute hoot as Vinny uses his cross examination training to befuddle his adversary. Go sec this movie. You will not be disappointed. ‘London’ album disjointed, disappointing Rfr/ie44/4 ‘‘Walking in London** Concrete Blonde I.R.S. Johncuc Napoliiano, ihc acciden tal feminist and driving force behind the Los Angeles trio Concrete Blonde, once screamed that she was “still in Hollywood.” A punk-rocker at heart, she was at her best in those days, lamenting broken relationships and Sou them Cal i forma ’ s d i rty, dead-end existence. But that was six years and four albums ago, and Napoliiano (who since has moved to the U.K.) is about as far away from L.A. as she could possibly be. And alter listening to Concrete Blonde’s latest release, “Walking in London,” folks arc likely to be a little dumbfounded. How could this oncc great trio fall so far, so fast? “Walking in London,” the follow up to 1990’s "Bloodletting,” is a dis jointed, disappointing work, save a couple of tracks. As for the rest, they sound like studio throwaways, from the ridicu lous opening cut, “Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man ” a kind of half-ass "Radar Love,” to a soupy cover of James Brown’s "It’s a Man’s World.” Longtime fans had to be encour aged by the group’s lineup, which reunited original drummer Harry Rushakoff (who was replaced on “Bloodletting” by former Roxy Mu sic member Paul Thompson) with Napolitanoand guitarist Jim Mankcy. Add to that backing vocals by Wall of Voodoo alumnus Andy Prieboy — who helped out on “BUxxllctiing” — and “London” looked promising. Bui as Napolitano goes, so goes Concrete Blonde, and make no mis take — this is entirely her album. It’s not surprising then, that “Walking in London" comes oil as pure sell-in dulgence. This is most apparent on “City Screaming,” with Napolilano thumbing her nose at her former L.A. home: “Is that a shot or a car?” And for those who fell in love with Napolilano’s lough-as-nails delivery on 1989’s “Free" or the band's self tilled debut, there are moments here that will make you cringe. The worst of the lot is the man bashing “I Wanna Be Your Friend Again," which is so overwrought with simplistic thinking it could have been the theme song to “Thelma and Lou ise.” A hideous sample is even thrown in, wherein two lovers make Small talk over the phone as Napolilano says what is really on the woman’s mind: “You’re not line/You cat, sleep and think him 24 hours a day.” Still, “Walking in London” is not without some fine moments. The playful “LesCoeurs Jumeaux"(Twin Hearts) is reminiscent of Free’s “Happy See BLONDE on 11 r Courtesy of BMI
