Arts (^Entertainment
Skew Siskin bangs heads on first tour
Heavy metal band
from Germany
opens in Omaha
fo<fr!MlviEW |
By Stacie Hakel
Staff Reporter
Germany’s new heavy metal band
did not make the Berlin Wall crumble
with its roaring bass, but it probably
could have made chips fall.
Skew Siskin, on their first tour,
played with Black Sabbath in Omaha
Monday night.
Clad in black outfits, the band
banged theirheads whileplaying their
songs including “1 Wanna Know,”
“Shake Down and Roll” and “If the
Walls Could Talk.”
Their self-titled, self-produced and
self-written debut album is proof of
their determination as a thriving new
band.
“It’s exciting playing in front of
those who haven’t seen us,” guitarist
Jimi Voxx said. “Sometimes I’m sur
prised how many people already know
about us.”
The band formed four years ago
when Voxx and lead vocalist Nina C.
Alice were search ing for a bass player
and drummer.
A friend of Voxx’s called and told
him about bass player Jogy
Rautcnbcrg.
Rautcnbcrg knew drummer Nik
Terry from a previous audition, and
the band was off for stardom.
For a year, the band members
worked day jobs, and in their spare
time, they recorded.
“Our band has the original mem
bers,” Terry said. “A band that is
always changing has the wrong ex
pectations; they need to stick together.
This is a real band.”
It took Skew Siskin two years to
come up with its name, and the credit
goes to Alice. Skew Siskin means
cri* unywr/um
Skew Sisken members Jogy Rautenberg and Jim Voxx rock the Omaha Music Hall Monday. The
German band opened for Black Sabbath.
“cra/.y bird” in Old English. The band
agreed on this name for its symbolic
meanings of freedom and liberty.
“This is a name we’ 11 stick wjth for
years,” Raulcnbcrg said.
Voxx said he got his inspirations
from the same record collection as
Alice — from bands such as The
Kinks, The Who and Jimi Hendrix.
Voxx defined Jimi Hendrix’s mu
sic as “fresh” and compared it to their
own.
“I’m not saying that we’re like
Jimi Hendrix but in the way, song and
attitude,” Voxx said. “There’s so much
at the beginning. You learn different
things and introduce new things to the
people.”
Alice started playing drums at age
11 and gradually worked her way into
singing as she got older.
“You get older, you gel wiser, you
gel better,” she said. “If you don’t get
better, something’s wrong.”
Having a woman for a lead singer
gave the band a different approach to
heavy metal, and people were more
interested in listening, Terry said.
He said the band did not compare
Alice to other female singers such as
Lila Ford, and they thought of her as
just “one of the guys.”
Though the band started off on its
first lour with Black Sabbath,
Rautenberg said there was still a big
step to Number one.
Alice said she hoped that more
people would find oulabout the band.
The band’s next slop on lour is
Davenport, Iowa.
“It’s the excitement that always
makes us cover new goals,” Voxx
said.
“This is just the beginning — it
keeps us going.”
Black Sabbath
delivers taste
of old and new
to its audience
comstcC
By Stacie Hakel
Staff Reporter
Thcaudicncc received a little
of both old and new while thrash
ing around at the Black Sabbath
conccrtatOmaha’sCivic Audi
torium Monday night.
This popular band, which has
been around since the ’70s, con
tinues to steal the hearts and
souls of heavy metal lovers.
Playing songs including
“Children of the Seas” and
“Heaven and Hell,” Black Sab
bath, with Ronnie James Dio as
lead singer, still hasthepowerto
make the crowd roar.
Off its new album
“Dchumani/.cr,” Black Sabbath
impressed the crowd with “ Mas
ters of Insanity.”
The band even threw a little
bit of Wayne and Garth in with
“Time Machine.”
From the old days when Oz/.y
Osbourne was the lead singer,
Black Sabbath played the all
time favorite “War Pigs.’’
But Dio also did a good job
taking the place of the famous
Osbourne when he sang “Iron
Man.”
Opening for Black Sabbath,
Exodus rocked the audience,
along with a new band from
Germany called Skew Siskin.
With hair swinging rhythmi
cally to the beat, Skew Siskin
See CONCERT on 10
Brian McKnight’s self-titled debut combines soul, ballads
and jazz.
Artist escapes family ties
in pleasing musical debut
. ^ n
“Brian Mcknight”
Brian Mcknight
Mercury Records
There arc many limes in ihc music
business when a recording ariisl will
help out his or her relative to gel them
started on the road to fame.
Marky Mark, Janet Jackson and
Wilson Phillips arc just a few ex
amples of artists riding on their rela
tives’ coattails to stardom.
Enters Brian McKnighl.
McKnighl is the brother of Claude
McKnight, who performs with the a
See MCKNIGHT on 10
A1 B. Sure’s third album effort
revives former superstar status
“Sexy Versus”
Al B. Sure
Warner Brothers Records
In 1988 Al B. Sure burst onto the
music scene with “In Effect Mode,”
which yielded such hits as “Nitc And
Day,” Rescue Me,” “Off On Your
Own (Girl)” and “If I’m Not Your
Lover.”
After his first LP, Sure was the
music industry’s next superstar, but
his second effort, “Private Times and
the Whole Nine,” was so bad that Sure
should have hid out like Salman
Rushdie.
Sure had the misfortune of having
a debut LP so big that he was unable
to answer the bell and give his fans the
same excitement he had previously
brought them.
But Sure is back once again with
“Sexy Versus,” a 13-track attempt to
bring himself back into the spotlight.
“Sexy Versus” opens with “Right
Now,” the first single released from
the album.
“Right Now” is a mid-tempo cut
that has a lot going on, and judging
from this song, it appears that Sure
might be able to save lace.
“U & I,” “Playing Games” and
“Natalie,” help get “Sexy Versus” off
to a great start. At this point it appears
that Sure is back on same track he was
in 1988.
Sure kicks up the funk on “Ooh 4
Your Girl.” On this cut Sure is able to
recapture that persona as a pretty-boy
. Courtesy of Warner Brothers Records
Al B. Sure returns to his quality style with “Sexy Versus,” his
third release.
ladies man. For inis song il seems lo
work.
This formula also works on “Turn
You Out” and “See The Lady,” fea
turing rap star Chubb Rock.
Through the first three quarters of
this disc. Sure docs a good job at
putting together a quality LP. It is at
this point where Sure falls down and
almost loses all of the momentum he
has gained.
“Thanks 4 a Great Time” is a poor
excuse for a song that should have
been leftoff of “Sexy Versus.”This is
the song that earns “Sexy Versus” the
Tipper Gore parental advisory slicker
on the cover.
This lunc is notall lhal bad, but ihc
fact that the Sure chose to show off his
manhood at the beginning ruins the
song.
Fortunately, Sure is able to re
bound, and the last four songs of
“Sexy Versus” arc a nice way to round
out this LP.
Overall, “Sexy Versus” is a good
effort. The listener will not be disap
pointed this lime.
With the exception of one song,
“Sexy Versus” will not drive Sure
underground and make him almost
extinct like Salman Rushdie.
— Anthony D. Speights