Acts gear up for Edgefest
i :■■ .....
By Chris Thomas and
Patrick Miner
Music Critics
For the third consecutive year,
KDGE (the Edge), Omaha’s largest
modern rock station, is sponsoring
an all-ages, sold-out, daylong,
music fest. Featuring new and
returning guests, Edgefest ‘97 will
be at the Westfair Amphitheater in
Council Bluffs, Iowa, Saturday,
with gates opening at 10 a.m.
Headlining this collage of old
and new acts will be Nebraska
native Matthew Sweet. His current
album, “Blue Sky On Mars,” now is
receiving airplay, though he is most
remembered for his break-through
album, “Girlfriend,” from 1990.
The stage veteran always puts on a
good show and manages to please
most any crowd. Hailing from
T incnln r*prtQ i n 1\/ KpI npH Quroot
obtain a spot at Edgefest, and he is
the obvious choice to headline a
show that is otherwise full of one
hit wonders and relative unknowns.
Sugar Ray, another Edgefest act,
is enjoying continued success from
its blockbuster single, “Fly.” The
band recently grabbed a share of the
side stage on the Warped Tour,
which also featured the announced
- but not attending - Edgefest band
Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Sugar
Ray’s performance on the Warped
Tour featured a harder sound than
did “Fly,” which included tracks
from the band’s newest release,
“Floored,” and its debut album,
“Lemonade and Brownies.” Sugar
Ray was definitely one of the weak
er bands to grace a stage on the
Warped Tour, and it seems unnatur
al for this band to suddenly be one
of the highlights of a sold-out
amphitheater show.
Also in the category of current
one-hit wonders is Smash Mouth, a
band out of San Jose, Calif. The
group is known for flooding the air
waves with the mindless, yet catchy,
“Walking on the Sun.”
With ideas like the ones vocalist
Greg Harwell has in mind, it doesn’t
look like the band is going too far.
“We formed the band with the
intention of getting on the radio and
making a record,” Harwell said. “I
don’t want to be cool and broke; I’d
rather be cool and have dough.”
The Edge held a battle of the
bands on Aug. 23 to determine what
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL RECORDS
RADIO IODINE WILL PERFORM its trip-hop verses and radio-friendly
hooks Saturday at Westfair Amphitheater in Council Sluffs, Iowa.
regional act would be included in
this weekend’s lineup. Omaha’s
Grasshopper Takeover won the
spot. With this makeshift version of
the Kind being proclaimed as the
best band in the metro area, it’s a
sad statement for Omaha’s music
scene. Recent concerts
Grasshopper had with 22 Jacks and
Jimmy Skaffa, as well as with other
Omaha bands, showed little pro
gression from the act in the past
year.
The most amazing announce
ment of the show has to be that the
Nixons would be back for a three
peat. The group’s self-titled new
album features the cliche-heavy
and predictable, “Baton Rouge,”
leaving “Sister” its single hit.
Someone needs to impeach the
Nixons, like Richard, but we would
n’t suggest using a tape recorder.
The other return performer will be
the Refreshments, performing in
support of their new album, avail
able on streets later this fall.
Despite some of the obvious
disappointments in booking for the
show, several promising new acts
are slated to play this year, includ
ing Soak, Artificial Joy Club,
Naked and Radio Iodine. Soak’s
industrial rock and heavy bass lines
are smoothed over with the power
ful, yet soothing vocals of Jason
Demetri.
Radio Iodine features a compe
tent blend of Portishead and
Garbage, with its trip-hop verses
and radio-ready hooks tinged with
alt-rock guitar. Song’s like
“Understand,” “Never Meant To”
and the current single, “Things I
Do,” speak well of the band’s debut
effort.^Also appearing will be
Puzzlegut, Outhouse and Sister
Machine Gun with new material
from its month-old album
“Metropolis.”
Faculty will perform free recitals
By Liza Holtmeier
Senior Reporter
On Sunday, instead of watching
the documentary on underwater
basket weaving for the billionth
time, make a trip to Kimball
Recital Hall or Cornerstone for a
free concert.
The School of Music’s faculty
recitals continue this weekend
with performances by Scott
Anderson, professor of.tjrombone;
Ann Chang-Barnes, assistant visit
ing professor; and graduate stu
dent Denise Witfoth Makinson.
“A lotof the faculty recitals are
of a high caliber, and out in the
real world, people would be
charged ' admission,” Chang
Barnes said^ “I think it^ a great
versity, as well as thg eontnuinity,
to take advantage of these concerts
and come see as many as they can.”
The department will feature
Chang-Barnes and Anderson in a 3
p.m. trombone and piano recital
Sunday at Kimball. This collabora
tive effort will feature works from
20th century artists.
“I don’t believe that 20th centu
ry music is played at this universi
ty as extensively as it ought to be,”
Anderson said. “This recital takes
more traditional works like Paul
Hindemith’s ‘Sonata,’ as well as a
workrby Neal Corwell.”
Anderson also plans to perform
a piece he has worked on for the
fast Two years - “Keren for
Unaccompanied Trombone” by
Iannis Xenakis. '' _ fi
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever
done in my life,” Anderson said.
“It scares me to death, but it’s
something I have to do.”
Later on Sunday afternoon,
Makinson will present an organ
recital featuring works by Johann
Sebastian Bach, Samuel Scheidt
and Georg Muffat. The 4:30 p.m.
concert will be at Cornerstone.
' Chang-Barnes said the recital
series is one of the perks of work
ing at the university.
“Playing with your colleagues
i$ one of the highlights for all the
faculty here,” she explained. “It’s
also a wonderful chance for the
students to see you perform, and to
give them something to aspire to.”
Anderson said the series pro
vides^ chance to pass on his
enthusiasm. foLmore classical
types of mgtsie. . .v -
“IfVe don’t keep people enthu
sfastic about this music, it will die
on thimine,” he said. “If we don’t
teach irand perform it well, no one
writhe interested.”
Radio stations tell of Garth Brooks’ arrival
From Staff Reports
Garth Brooks is coming to Lincoln.
Local’country radio stations
announced Thursday that Brooks’
“Fresh Horses” tour will stop at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center Sept. 26.
To discourage scalpers, a lottery
system will be used for fans to obtain
tickets.
Fans must first pick up wrist
bands at any Omaha or Lincoln.
Ticketmaster location Sept. 8-12.
Those who have purchased a wrist
band will then be asked to return to
the same ticket outlet for a ticket lot
tery on Sept. 14th.
A random wristband number will
b& drawn and tickets will be sold in
' * ■ i. is /
order beginning with the first select
ed number. Obtaining wristbands will
not guarantee that holders will
receive tickets. ; "V "
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