By Emily Wray
and Cliff Hicks
UN j ghosts
alive, well
in Lincoln book
In honor of keeping the Hallow
een spirit alive, we’re reviewing “A
Guide to the Ghosts of Lincoln” by
local author Alan Boye, who’s
transplanted himself to New En
gland. (But don’t hold that against
him.)
ims uuucuuuu ui siuncs auuui
the very worthy topic of ghosts con
tains 18 pieces. There are a few sto
ries that stand out, though.
In fact, three stories are targeted
to the living college crowd.
UNL boasts two ghost stories
while Nebraska Wesleyan Univer
sity only has one. First, there’s a
ghost in the Temple Theater Build
ing across the street from the Lied
Center for Performing Arts. Of
course, there may be two ghosts in
the Temple Building, depending on
whom you ask.
Pound Residence Hall’s fifth
floor also has a hippie ghost named
Lucy (no, we don’t know which
room it is). Ever the tortured artist,
she wrote some poetry, studied a bit,
threw a chair out the window and
jumped after it. After weird things
started happening and tourists
started hanging around, UNL won’t
put students in the room anymore,
the book said.
We aren’t sure if this is true or
not, but if they still don’t let students
live there, maybe they changed it
into a computer room, which would
explain why all the computers crash
all of the time all over campus. Or
maybe the SA lives there.
Wesleyan has one spirit, but her
identity is debated. One possibility
is music teacher Miss Mary Allen
Smith who died in 1920. The other,
more accepted identity is Miss
Urania Clara Mills who was head
of the music theory department and
died in 1940. Both died in
Wesleyan’s C.C. White Building.
Unfortunately, Wesleyan’s^host
is homeless after her workplace was
demolished in 1973. She’s still
haunting at her old apartment,
though.
Ah, yes, we should review the
bode now.
“I think it would be a much bet
ter performance piece than a book,”
Cliff said. “It’s like reading a script.
You know there’s something with it,
it’s just not there.”
I agree with Cliff; in fact, much
of that idea can be added by using
your imagination. That’s the beauty
of bodes. Good ones, and especially
ones that need improvement, re
quire lots of imagination.
“And a really dark roan,” Cliff
said. “Atmosphere is key for setting
up a book or a story. Ghost stories
require by their very nature that you
have some kind of dark atmosphere
a just a generally old place. That’s
why they’re usually told instead of
written down.”
And that’s why candles are so
cheap. It’s called providing your
own atmosphere, but be careful
about die university’s open flame
policy.
A
Wray is a junior news-edito
rial major. Hicks is a sophomore
news-editorial and English major.
They are both staff reporters and
avid book lovers.
2
Band fills gap between country rock
By Ann Stack
Senior Reporter
There’s a certain mindset against
country music today, but if there’s a
band around that can break down those
barriers between radio and roots rock,
it’s Son Volt.
Son Volt will be performing their
brand of country rock at the Ranch
Bowl in Omaha Friday night. Omaha
is the third date on the band’s month
long tour.
The band is on tour to road-test new
material from its second album, to be
released in early 1997. They’ll also
be playing from their 1995 debut re
lease, the critically-acclaimed ‘Trace.”
Son Volt came together in the sum
mer of 1994, after the breakup of coun
try-rock band Uncle Tupelo. Son Volt
founder and lead singer Jay Farrar
formed the band when he said goodbye
to his 12-year relationship with the
members of Uncle Tupelo, including
co-founder and fellow front man Jeff
Tweedy.
Uncle Tupelo was partly respon
sible for blazing the territory of under
ground country-rock; they were a fa
vorite at college and alternative radio
stations across the country during the
early ’90s. They are the subject of a
grass-roots support movement that in
cludes fanzines and web pages.
But from the ashes of its demise
came two different bands — Son Volt
and the Tweedy-founded Wilco. Farrar,
with Son Volt drummer Mike Heidom,
picked up brothers Jim and Dave
Boquist, bassist and guitarist, respec
tively.
Ptara> coubtesy of Warner Bros.
THE MEMBERS OF SON VOLT are, from left, Jim Boquist, Jay
Farrai; Mike Heidom and Dave Boquist.
“I was on the road with my band,
Joe Henry, opening for Uncle Tupelo,”
Jim Boquist said. Farrar called him,
Boquist said, and he mentioned his
brother Dave.
Boquist and his brother were in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Heidom
lived in Belleville, 111., and Farrar
moved to New Orleans after the
breakup of Uncle Tbpelo. (He’s since
moved to St. Louis.)
“There was a lot of driving in
volved,” Boquist said.
A lot of the material on “Trace”
deals with themes of restlessness, mov
ing, trees, wind and freedom. The al
bum travels the roads Farrar drove
from the blues-infused South to the
folk/rock/country-smothered Midwest.
Of course, Son Volt is best known
for their radio-friendly single “Drown.”
“The album was received well,”
Boquist said. “I didn’t really know
what to expect. I was prepared for any
thing. ‘Drown’ kind of snuck onto the
radio.”
Son Volt will be performing at 9
pm Tickets are $9 in advance and $ 10
at the door. It will be an all-ages show.
Amos brings
intimate show
toOrpheum
From Staff Reports
Singer and pianist Tori Amos will
bring her unusual brand of music to
Omaha’s Orpheum Theater tonight at
7:30.
Amos’ shows, which consist of only
the singer and a Bosendorfer grand
piano, have been critically-acclaimed
for the intimacy created between the
star and her audience. The singer has
been known for talking to audience
members between songs to include
them in the performance. The
Orpheum’s 2,759 capacity offers an
ideal setting for such a show.
Amos has been riding a wave of
success in recent years. Her newest
release, “Boys for Pele,” followed the
| platinum albums “Little Earthquakes”
and “Under the Pink.”
The pianistis expected to play
I tracks from all three albums, as well
as a few unreleased songs..
Tonight’s show is sold out.
!
£
Latino band
Los Lobos
tours again
From Staff Reports
Known for the 1986 cover of
Ritchie Valens’ hit “La Bamba,”
Latino roots band Los Lobos
quickly achieved notoriety in the
mid-’80s for their contagious and
catchy sound.
Ten years and five albums later,
Warner Bros, recording artist Los
Lobos is resurfacing on Saturday at
the Pershing Auditorium. Their new
album “Colossal Head” has been
out since April.
Lincoln’s Hispanic Community
Center assisted in bringing Los Lo
bos to town, along with opening
band Geffen Recording Artists,
Wild Colonials.
The show starts at 8 p.m. and
tickets are $16.25.
On-beat poet
from South
visits UNL
From Staff Reports
She’s been called the Southern
counterpart of Holden Caufield —
feisty, sassy and off-beat. And she V
coming to the University of Ne
braska-Lincoln.
Poet Martha McFerren will be
reading a selection from her four
poetry books: “Women In Cars,”
“Contours For Ritual,” “Get Me Out
of Here!” and “Delusions of a Popu
lar Mind.” She will read tonight at
7 in the English Department
Lounge, 228 Andrews Hall.
In addition to her reading, she
will be the host at an informal lec
ture Friday at 10 a.m. in the depart
ment lounge.
Christian band
makes stop
in Midwest
From Staff Reports
Secular Christian music has en
joyed a surge in popularity recently,
thanks in part to bands like DC Tfclk,
Jars of Clay and Newsboys.
But there’s another equally tal
ented Christian act that hasn’t
achieved as much Top 40 success
but has turned a few corporate heads
anyway.
Big Tent Revival, a Christian
group from Memphis, Term., will be
performing at Grace University’s
Suckan Chapel, 831 Pine St., in
Omaha tonight at 7:30.
Big Tent Revival is cm tour sup
porting their second album, “Open
All Nile.”
Their self-titled debut release re
ceived a Grammy nomination this
year for Best Rock Gospel Album,
and two tracks from that album re
ceived Dove Award nominations.
BTR is known for their South
ern blues/country folk rock melo
dies and straightforward, thought
provoking lyrics.
Special guests for tonight’s show
are Grammatrain and Jackson
Finch. Admission is $7 in advance
and $9 at the door.