Iowa City group brings
high-energy act to Lincoln
//
Extensive touring
takes Low Gravity
Band to Nebraska for
the first time.
By Ann Stack
Senior Reporter
Newton had it right — gravity ex
ists. But Low Gravity Band doesn’t
need to drop an apple on its fans’ heads
to get their attention.
Low Gravity Band, a high-energy
roots-rock act, will be playing at
Knickerbocker’s, 901 O St., Saturday
night with Lincoln’s Shithook. It spe
cializes in mellow, groove-oriented
music with heavy hooks and harmo
nies, drummer Pat Lake said.
Hailing from Iowa City, Iowa, LGB
has been together in various forms for i
nearly ten years now, most notably as -
Big Daddy Sugarsnake. The band '
lasted until the summer of 1995, when
their lead singer quit. Their final gig
as Big Daddy Sugarsnake was open- '
ing for the BoDeans at the University
of Iowa.
“If there was ever a night I needed
. Depends, that was it,” singer/guitarist
’ Todd Allan said, referring to the emo
tion-filled final performance. 1
The five 20-somethings of Low i
Gravity Band live together in a farm- i
house, called the “Rancho Relaxo,” ]
just outside Iowa City. They claim in- ]
fluences as varied as their personali- i
ties: anything from Steely Dan to Uncle ]
Tupelo to contemporary top 40 is up
for grabs.
“We get hip to certain bands, and >
some of it sticks,” Lake said. “But we 1
can’t be thrashing through something
with the high-hat when the emphasis
is on Todd’s acoustic guitar.” f
\
“I hope next month I’ll be hip to ~
something like Prince, and have that (
filter through our music,” Allan said. £
“A lot of bands stay in a certain genre; 5
they’re afraid to try something new.”
Some of what seems to have filtered j
••
I hope next month
Yll be hip to some
thing like Prince,
and have that filter
through our music.
A lot of bands stay
in a certain genre;
they're afraid to try
something new."
Todd Allan
singer/guitarist
hrough is the “No Depression” vibe
—a style of music modeled after Uncle
rupelo’s album of the same title.
“People have told us we sound like
ve’re from Minneapolis,” Allan said.
We played with (Minneapolis band)
lie Wonsers and they said that.”
Other national acts that Low Grav
ty Band has opened for include The
doneydogs, The Hazies, The Com
rions and Tim Mahoney and the
Vleenies. Their extensive touring has
aken them across the Midwest — Mii
vaukee, St. Louis, Rock Island, 111. and
Des Moines, Iowa, to name a few
daces. But Saturday will be the first
ime Low Gravity Band will play in
Nebraska.
“We’re really looking forward to
t,” Allan said. “It’s a fantastic oppor
unity.”
Their commitments to playing mu
ic is one thing that remains constant
vith this band. They all have day jobs
— and college degrees — but they’re
ledicated musicians, and the members
gree they’ll go to any length to make
ure they’re heard.
Low Gravity Band will take the
itage about 10:30 p.m. There is a $3
;over charge.
*
Courtesy photo
LOW GRAVITY BAND, from left, are Blane Anderson, Dave Lumberg, Tbdd Allan, Patrick Lake and
Andrew Brockman. They will perform at Knickerbocker’s, 901 0 St., Saturday night.
Musical tells traditional story of
‘Nativity According to St. Luke’
By Emily Wray
Staff Reporter
Sue Buss will take a break from the hustle
and bustle of the holiday season by watching
“The Nativity According to St. Luke.”
Featured as part of Abendmusik’s 24th
season, “The Nativity According to St. Luke”
will be performed at 7:30 both tonight and
Sunday night. Produced in coordination with
the Lincoln Symphony, vocal soloists and
performers from the community, the musical
will be held at First Plymouth Congregational
Church at 20th and D Streets.
Buss, the executive director of
Abendmusik, said people attending the holi
day production are motivated by the true
meaning of Christmas.
“It’s the joy and coming of Christ,” she
said. “If you take time out to watch ‘The
Nativity,’ it’s a reminder of why we have
Christmas. The concert has a calming and
emotional effect.”
Composer Randall Thompson conducted
“The Nativity” in the Nebraska premiere
during the iy/5 Abendmusik season, Buss
said.
“John Levick has always loved the work
and we decided to do it again,” she said.
Abendmusik, a non-profit, fine-arts series,
first filled a niche in the community 24 years
ago, Buss said.
John Levick, the minister of music and
artistic director of First Plymouth, wanted a
variety of instrumental and vocal music that
featured local, regional, national and inter
national performers.
“The Nativity” continues the tradition of
using local performers for Abendmusik’s
third concert of nine this season.
Buss said that many University of Ne
braska-Lincoln students and professors were
chosen for main roles in the musical based
on the .Gospel of Luke. The Lincoln Sym
phony and Abendmusik Chorus serve as
background for the soloists.
Featured soloists for “The Nativity” in
clude UNL School of Music students Sarah
Gilbert, Rebecca Kouma Shane and Lance
Hedlund. Donna Harler-Smith, professor of
Please see MUSK on 17
MCI Communications abandons
one-year music retailing business
WASHINGTON (AP)—MCI Communica
tions is getting out of the music retailing busi
ness after the one-year-old venture failed to gen
erate the profits originally envisioned, company
officials said Wednesday.
The long-distance company had been wind
ing down the venture for months and will end it
Dec. 31.
“The truth is it was keeping its head just
above water in terms of profitability,” said
spokeswoman Susan Landis. The company did
not disclose figures.
MCI entered the SI2 billion music retailing
business in November of 1995 with an 800 num
ber that let people sample and buy their favorite
recordings.
Many people called the music service
dubbed 800 MUSIC NOW, but few were buy
ing, Landis and others at the company said.
Among the reasons: It is easier and cheaper
for people to buy from a record store; and sales
in the music industry in 1996 have been terrible.
Another problem: the company began to re
quire people to set up accounts with MCI using
credit cards before they could sample the music
for free. At record stores, people could sample
music in listening stations or booths without any
such requirements.
MCI spent around $10 million developing
and promoting the service, the company said.
MCI needed to make only a minimal investment
to provide the service because it uses many of
the resources — transmission, billing and cus
tomer service systems — already in place.
All of the venture’s employees have already
been assigned to other jobs within the company.
Landis said the ill-fated venture does have a
silver lining. She said it expanded the company’s
exposure.
In the summer, MCI phased out its online
shopping service called MarketplaceMCI, lo
cated on the World Wide Web portion of the
Internet, Landis said. Music, flowers, food and
computer software and hardware were among
the products sold.
Company officials said people visited the site
but were reluctant to use it for making purchases.
Closing down both the online shopping and
the music retailing ventures reflects the
company’s larger strategy to focus resources on
the local phone business.
With the music service, callers were able to
choose from among 5,04)0 CDs and cassettes.
Please see MCI on 16