Arts ©Entertainment
Thursday, September 1, 1994
Page 12
Michelle Paulman/DN
Lois Meysenburg, an artist at Noyes Art Gallery, displays a T-shirt featuring a painting
by Rodney Humpal.
Gallery prints pictures
of artists’ work on shirts
By Sean McCarthy
Staff Reporter
Art buffs can not only experi
ence the art at the Noyes Art Gal
lery, they can literally wear it.
From September until Decem
ber, the gallery will feature artists’
works printed on t-shirts. The gal
lery, located at 119 S. Ninth St.,
originally offered the T-shirt ser
vice for an exhibit.
The exhibit, entitled “Clothing
Optional,” was slated for an August
run only. However, response to the
T-shirts was so positive that the
gallery extended the service past
August, according to gallery artist
Rodney Humpal.
Since Aug. 1, the gallery has sold
about 100 shirts, Humpal said. The
gallery takes orders from customers
“77te T-shirts' success has come as a big
surprise. I think that the shirts will enhance the
feeling that this is a casual place where you
can enjoy yourself . ”
■
RODNEY HUIflPAL
Noyes Art Gallery artist
as to what artist’s work they would
like to wear and what size they
would like. The work is then scanned
by local T-shirt shops and sent back
to the gallery and to the customer,
Humpal said.
The cost or each shirt is $22.
Because of size i imitations, some of
the works in the gallery arc not
available to print on a T-shirt,
Humpal said. However, most of the
past art works in the gallery, and
See NOYES on 13
Little Feat nans away
with success using
various music styles
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
It is a record company’s pro
motional nightmare.
Country, blues, hard rock, fu
sion, jazz and “swamp” music—
Little Feat has been doing it all
since 1969.
On Labor Day, Little Feat will
tromponto the stage at the Nebras
ka State Fair as part of the Blues
Music Festival, with B.B. King,
Dr. John and the Muddy Waters
tribute band.
* Paul Barrere, Little Feat gui
tarist and vocalist, said the band's
eclectic nature made it impossible
to put Feat into a category.
“People don’t know what to
call us. 1 say, just call us musi
cians,” he laughed.
After the band’s front man,
Lowell George, passed away in
1979, the remaining band mem
bers went their separate ways.
They reunited years later in
1985 and went back to the studio
in 1988 to record “Let It Roll.”
Little Feat has been rolling ever
since.
“The funny thing about this
band is that even in the seven or
eight years we were apart, our,
band grew in mystique with the
advent of classic radio,” Barrere
said.
He said more people knew
about the band, and by the time it
reunited, the band’s fan base had
grown twofold.
After the release oP‘Let 11 Roll.”
Little Feat went on a tour that took
it across North America, Europe
and Japan. The band’s reputation
grew and resulted in two more
albums, “Representing the Mam
bo” and “Shake Me Up.”
The band went through another
personnel change with the depar
ture of vocalist Craig Fuller,
“Craig had become tired of all
the comparisons to Lowell,”
Barrere said. “He was tired of
traveling on the road, and he want
ed to stay home with his new
baby.”
The void then was filled in a
unique way. Little Feat found a
little woman — Shaun Murphy.
Murphy, whose background in
cludes singing backup for Bob
Scger, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton,
Michael Bolton, Bruce Hornsby
and Glenn Frey, sang with Little
Feat on the group’s last three
records.
Barrcrc said engaging Murphy
as a lead vocalist gave Little Feat
a “new shot in the arm.”
“It was a left turn for Little Feat
to let a lady join the band,” Barrerc
laughed. “We had to clean up the
language on the bus.”
Barrerc said Fuller was more
country-oriented, while Murphy
leaned toward blues rock.
“She’s really more oriented to
the bulk of Little Feat rhythm and
blues. We’re back to being a bit
funkier.”
Murphy also has more stage
presence than Fuller had, Barrerc
said, which has contributed to the
band’s recent success and touring
gigs, such as the Blues Music Fes
tival.
The festival is a good way to
expand Little Feat’s audience.
Bane re said, because U takes the v
band to areas—such as Nebraska
—where it hasn’t received much
exposure.
“It’s kind of nice how they set
this blues fcsl up,” he said. “It’s
not limited. It’s really American
music." '
For Barrcrc, the real advantage
was being able to play with tne
legends.
“I’ve been a big fan of B.B.
King and Dr. John,” he said.
“We’ve done six shows together,
and there’s talk of getting together
anddoingsomc jamming. There’s
nothing I would like to do more
than to sit down next to the King
and play guitar.”
The Blues Festival will begin
Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the Bob
Devaney Sports Center. Tickets
are $20, $17 and $14.
Diamond Rio’s skill is country music’s crown jewel
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
Diamond Rio is not into “little
ditties.”
Like the band’s name, its mem
bers stress the utmost in quality out
of their work. And it shines through.
Diamond Rio was the first coun
try band to have a debut single go
No. 1 with 1991 ’s “Meet in the
Middle” off the band’s self-titled
album.
Since then, the group has had
No. 1 hits off its 1992 album “Close
to the Edge” and its most recent
release, “Love a Little Stronger.”
Diamond Rio was “Country Group
of the Year” in 1992 and 1993, and
was nominated for aGrammy award
in 1994,
Marty Roe, Diamond Rio’s lead
vocalist, said the band placed a lot
of emphasis on its songs to make
sure the material released has sub
stance and is not a “little ditty.”
i
“Thebig songs—the ditty things
— make huge hits, but as far as
longevity goes, you have to put out
quality material," Roe said.
Roe said that although singers
like Billy Ray Cyrus received a lot
of attention in the short run, they left
the spotlight just as quickly as they
entered it.
“1 think the American people are
smart. They might get sucked in
once, but they won’t get sucked in
twice,” Roe laughed. “I do like Bil
ly Ray. He’s a nice guy. I thought his
second album was much better,
•though."
Quality is still the determining
factor.
“If you turn out quality every
time, people will respect you. If you
turn out work that is sub-par, even if
i t’s a huge hit, people won ’ t get their
money’s worth.”
Artists like Cyrus and Garth
Brooks aren’t all bad for the image
of country music, Roe said.
“They bring people into the
record stores and people are going
to walk right by that bin that says
Diamond Rio,” he laughed. “(Cyrus)
is in the C*s and we’re right next
door.”
What makes Diamond Rio the
shining jewel of country music arc
six experienced musicians and lyr
ics that ring true to heart.
J immy Olandcr, leadguitar; Gene
Johnson, mandolins and vocals;
Brian Prout, drums; Dan Truman,
keyboards; Dana Williams, bass
guitar and vocals; and Roc give
Diamond Rio the “cutting edge.”
“Jimmy, Dan and Gene are all
good as musicians as there are in
Nashville. They brine their own
* styles and differences?’ Roe said.
Within the musical polish, lies
the lyrical truth. Roe said.
“ft starts out with a hook idea, a
title you get excited about. You get
See DIAMOND RIO on 13
Courtesy of International Artist Management
Diamond Rio is. from toft: Brian Prout Jimmy Oiander,
Dan Truman, Marty Roe, Dana Williams and Gene
Johnson.