,_ 'KJ
Maelstrom
highlights weekend
Sunday's FloodFest will mark
the high point of quite a few
people's weekend, but if 12
hours of musk — staged for a
good cause — isn't your cup-o-tea,
here's a few more options.
Starting today and running
through Sunday is “Maelstrom,” the
Lincoln Fantasy and Science Fiction
Club's first convention.
The event will feature discussions
with science fiction and fantasy writ
ers from around the country, includ
ing Mickey Zucker Reichert, Rich
ard Knaak, and Lincoln's own Rob
ert Reed. Vendors of sci-fi merchan
dise, an art show, Japanese anima
tion, videos and free food and (kink
are also scheduled.
i iic ouii voli
tion costs $20
per person,
$15 for UNL
students with
student I.D.,
but remem
ber, it runs for
three days. If
you can’t
maice it to all the events, special rates
are available on a day-by-day basis,
said Gamer Johnson, event coordi
nator.
Most of the events will be held at
the East Campus Student Union, with
related room parties and other cel
ebrations at die Super 8 at 27th and
Comhusker.
Star Trek fans, all three genera
tions, should pay special attention to
Sunday, Johnson said.
“Sunday will have the Star Trek
emphasis,” he said “We’ll have trivia
contests, bloopers, a rumor mill about
the shows and the upcoming season
and The Next Generation’s season
premiere.”
The premiere will be shown at
about 3 p.m., Johnson said.
Sunday could be a tough decision
for Trekkers who like music.
Moving on.
Movie-guy Gerry Beltz asked me
to mention that “What’s Love Got To
Do With It,” will be appearing at the
Starship 9. The movie had only a
brief run here in Lincoln this sum
mer.
“If you blinked you missed it,” he
said.
Which was a real shame, accord
ing to Beltz.
The movie, which is based on the
Tina Turner’s autobiography, “I,
Tina”, featured Acadamy Award
caliber performances from Angela
Basset as Tina and Laurence
Fishbume as Ike Turner.
“It’s a powerful film that captures
both the fragility and invulnerability
of the human spirit,” Beltz said.
Speaking of human spirit — this
is the last weekend to catch “Or
lando” at the Mary Riepma Ross Film
Theater. Don’t miss the opportunity,
it is a beautiful film that will appeal to
anyone — even those of you who
think of Sheldon as a place for “artsy”
films. True, you can see “Dennis the
Menace” for $1.50, but hey, expand
your horizons and give it a try.
For the 21 -and-over crowd look
ing for a cheap good time, Rockin’
Robin offers it’s second “customer
appreciation” concert on Saturday.
Jim Calloway, the bar's manager,
said SBK recording artist Michael
McDermott and Omaha’s Ges Werk
will perform a free show at 9.p.m.
The show is designed to thank
loyal customers, bring in some new
faces and give some exposure to the
artists, Calloway said.
Last April the bar brought in the
band Expose, and the ni jit was a
great success, Calloway said.
He expects the same on Saturday.
“Our last one was sold-out, and
this one probably will be too. Get
here early,” he said.
Can’t beat free.
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taiaaMat editor.
Promoter hopes
flood of work
pays off
By Anne Steyer
Senior Reporter
After working hard for five
months, A-DAM Productions orga
nizer Curtis Grubb is hoping a few
thousand people pour into Pioneer’s
Park this weekend for FloodFest
Grubb — who formed A-DAM
Productions with friends Craig
Mangan, Chris Costello and John
Heaston — said he has spent un
countable hours planning and orga
nizing FloodFest, a 12-hour, nine
band benefit extravaganza for flood
relief.
“There’s no real reason this thing
should be 12 hours, we just wanted it
to be. And we were fortunate enough
to be able to put it together,” Grubb
said.
“It allows people to come out and
play frisbee and hackey-sack — to
come out all day and have a really
good time.”
FloodFest has already been com
pared to a Nebraskan mini
Lollapolooza, and Grubb said he takes
it as a compliment.
“Compare something we’re do
ing to the biggest traveling festival
ever? To be compared to that kind of
operation is fantastic.”
Although FloodFest has things in
common with Lollapolooza, a major
difference is where the money goes.
All FloodFest proceeds will be
donated to the American Red Cross’
National Disaster Fund, Grubb said.
Other comparisons may not be
that far-fetched. One of Lincoln’s
largest outdoor venues — Pioneer
Park’s Pinewood Bowl Amphithe
ater — is the setting. In addition to
the mainstage performance area, a
second area also will be designated
for other band performances.
George’s Gyros, Runza, Sharkey’s
and other food vendors will be at the
park, Grubb said. Ralph’s Hungry
Eye Tattoo, Eyes of the World and
Smile-A-While will also have booths
set up. No alcohol or drugs will be
permitted.
Grubb said FloodFest’s entertain
ment will not be limited to music. A
DAM invited “benevolent recre
ational activities” groups to partici
pate, including a yo-yo group, jug
glers, drummers and other musicians.
Nine bands, two from out-of-state,
will play the festival. The Samples, a
Colorado-based band, California’s
311, The Millions, Mousetrap, No
Left Stone, Slow Down Virginia, The
Beef Curtans, The Kind, and Straw
Dog are all scheduled to play.
Grubb said the bands are donating
their time and their talent, with the
exception of 311, who is getting paid
a minimal fee. But, he said, it was a
worthwhile investment.
“311 is an excellent band and
they’re a big, big draw,” he said. “What
they’ll bring in is far more than we’re
spending.”
Grubb said that if A-DAM’s mem
bers have the means, they would like
to pay the other bands something. The
money would come from their own
pockets.
A-DAM’s directive is to foster
events that are “good for the spirit, the
community and a philanthropy,” he
said.
And what started as a goodwill
effort turned into a multi-dimensional,
full-scale project.
He said he found out almost imme
diately it wasn’t going to be simple
and what began with four people grew
into an event involving nearly a thou
sand.
The numbers come from all areas,
from parking to security, stage man
agement to cleaniy). Grubb said over
100 volunteers are from two UNL
greek houses, Beta Theta Pi fraternity
and Pi Beta Phi sorority. Both are
helping as part of their philanthropy
requirement.
Grubb said American Red Cross
See FESTIVAL on 10
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local, national bands come
to Uncota for benefit show
By Jill O Brwn
Senior Reporter
Sunday’s FloodFest at Pinewood
Bowl in Pioneers Park will swamp
the stage with local and national bands
in an effort to raise money for flood
victims.
Local bands include: No Left
Stone, Straw Dog, The BeefCurtans,
The Kind, Mousetrap, and a new
Omaha group, Slow Down Virginia.
Flying in on the wheels of their
trusty R.V., California-based 311 will
be in town for the flood gala, along
with Colorado’s Samples and
Lincoln’s The Millions.
Former University of Nebraska
Lincoln graduate, Doug Agne, gui
tarist for No Left Stone, said the
concert should be a good mix of
music.
Agne said the festival afforded
No Left Stone the opportunity to play
in front of a younger crowd.
“Because we’re more of a bar
band, most of our crowd is over 21,”
he said.
“Overall, FloodFest is a great
idea,” 1m said. “You’re getting tons
of local talent together and its for a
good cause at the same time. It kind
of kills two birds with one stone.”
Guitarist Harry Dingman III of
The Millions, agreed.
“It’s a real good bill because we
all complement each other, he said.
Dingman said the band, which
has played several local benefits to
aid die Lincoln Food Bank and Sal
vation Army, looked at this event as
the perfect opportunity to help out
more people.
“We were really glad we were in
town and able to do FloodFest,” he
said.
Since finishing their new album,
“Racule,” scheduled for a Hallow
een release date, the band has kept
busy playing out-of-state gigs, he
said.
“It’s good to be back in circula
tion after living in a studio all sum
mer,” Dingman said.
“1 really love doing it, but after a
while, you know, die summer's gone,
and I never even saw sunlight. I’ve
got a good studio tan going —
bugged-out eyes, pale tan,” he said.
The Millions have planned a dif
ferent type of set for FloodFest,
Dingman said.
“We’re going to be playing acous
tic — something completely differ
ent from the loud, live show. We're
going to be playing about SO percent
new stuff and SO percent from our
last album ”
The Samples will also be playing
“new stuff,” said drummer Jeep
MacNichol and keyboardist A1
Laughlin.
The band will stop in Lincoln as
part of the tour supporting the new
album, “The Last Drag,” Laughlin
said.
MacNichol said he first heard about
FloodFest when the band recently co
headlined a show with The Millions
in Atlanta, Ga.
He said he was looking forward to
teaming up with The Millions again,
and with 311.
“I'd definitely like to play with
311. They’re a killer,” MacNichol
said.
Nick Hexum, lead singer for 311,
said FloodFest’s organizers were old
friends from Omaha, ami the bands
scheduled to play weren’t strangers,
either.
“Beef Curtan, they’re very good
friends of ours; The Kind are some
dear old friends of ours; Mousetrap...I
haven’t seen them in a long time,”
Hexum said.
“It will be like the Nebraska
palooza,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll all
be partying together and having a
good time as well as raising some
hinds.”
When 311 was asked to play,
Hexum said the band jumped at the
chance, despite the band’s manager's
objections.
“Our manager said, ‘No, you guys
aren’t doing that Lincoln show. It’s
See FLOOD on 10