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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1997)
Cray rejects old niche I From Staff Reports It’s a cool, rainy night. Inside a smoldering nightclub, a blues band collaborates on stage. Amid the lingering wisps of cigarette smoke from the mellow audience, a variety of musicians and a downbeat soulful singer improvise heartfelt rhythms denot ing their hard lives. They’re playing the blues. However, not all blues artists fit perfectly into this solemn niche. Enter the Robert Cray Band. It will perform on Sunday at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St., and on Monday at Omaha’s Witherspoon Hall, located in the Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. Cray, a songwriter, vocalist, gui tarist and album producer, has been described as the musician who introduced blues to the pop charts. The Robert Cray Band mixes musical genres such as R&B, rock and blues to create its sound. Since the band’s debut album, “Who’s Been Talkin’,” released in 1980, it has released 10 more albums, including this year’s “Sweet Potato Pie.” Additionally, Cray has won four Grammy Awards, and his music has been featured in such films as “Mother” and “The Truth about Cats and Dogs.” Other musicians the Robert Cray Band has played with include B. B. King, John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones. Cray, whose music reflects both old and new eras has also been com pared to B. B. King. Important influences for the band range from Ray Charles and Muddy Waters to Otis Redding and Thelonius Monk. The Lied Center show begins at 7:30 p.m. Call the box office at 472 4747 for more information. The ticket price for the 8:00 p.m. Omaha show is $23.75. For more information, call Witherspoon Hall at (402) 342-3300 or Ticket Central toll free at (888) 203-8583. Contra dance offers swingin’ time From Staff Reports Swing your partner! ‘Round you go! Swing your partner! Do si-do! This weekend, the Lincoln Association for Folk and Traditional Arts will provide the community the opportunity to par ticipate in an old-fashioned contra dance and concert. Bob Bovee and Gail Heil will perform for the event tonight at 7:30 at the Wagon Train Project, 504 S. Seventh St. The concert will feature the two playing cowboy songs, blues, ragtime, ballads, novelty songs and yodels. Both Bovee and Heil will play guitars, banjos and auto harps. Heil also will sing and play the fiddle accompanied by Jenny Wallace-Grate of Omaha. Following the concert will be a contra dance, which consists of a group of dancers pairing off as they form lines, circles or squares. A caller directs the dancers through the basic moves or fig ures, which are similar to square dancing. Dancers have the option of walking or skipping through the moves, depending on their experi ence. Admission to the events is $7 for LAFTA members^ chil dren under 12 and $7 for all others. Home football blahs not hard to remedy By Bret Schulte Entertainment Dude Away Nebraska football games generally mark a weekend of mourning for many students, but lonely Lincoln residents can find plenty of opportunities for vicari ous violence and self-destruction this weekend conveniently close to the Cornhusker cathedral, Memorial Stadium. Once again Lincoln has man aged to pull the top talent away from New York and Los Angeles by recruiting stand-up comic Brad Nelson. Performing at the Downtown Dinner Theatre and Comedy Club, 245 N. 13th St., this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., he has been billed as “The Best in Nationally Touring Stand-Up Comedy” by that very same club. In a state where the last name Nelson is synonymous with cheap haircuts and an ethanol-inspired sense of humor, Brad’s stand-up will ensure the audience feels as though it never left the governor’s mansion. The Mueller Planetarium cele brates the graceful turning of the seasons each autujnn via the typical ly underestimated medium of ultra rapid concentrated light beams and guitar- hero rock anthems. This weekend, the Morrill Hall planetari um features the music behind every one’s most inspirational acid trip, Led Zeppelin. Shows start at 8, 9:30 and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased before the show for $4 for students and $5 for \non-students. ^Unfortunately, the good folks at thd planetarium are not tolerant of vomiting drunks or obscene dis plays of public affection. But Lincoln bars depend on these spontaneous student perfor mances for their very livelihood. The Brass Rail, 1436 O St., Playboy’s local representative for one of the best college bars (regard for cleanliness, atmosphere and appearance were intentionally over looked), will play host to two regional bands this weekend. Friday night, Sugar Daddy from Lawrence, Kan., will play. Described by a Zoo Bar employee as “loud,” Sugar Daddy promises an evening of hard and painful ear candy. Long shy from the local rock scene, fraternity rock will be featured Saturday night with The Murphy’s. Six former members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon will rock O Street’s favorite greek hangout with their eclectic collec tion of cover tunes. The Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St., will feature the local blues and funk of student favorite Bossphilly both Friday and Saturday nights. But the Zoo Bar isn’t the only place to feel the funk. For those not afraid to celebrate the blues alone, South Street Liquor, 1000 South St., is offering 40-ounce bottles of Old Milwaukee and Old Milwaukee Light for a mere $1.15. Call the store for vol ume discount prices. One final plug for advertisers: The dance club Q, 226 S. Ninth St., is sponsoring The Outrageous Ms. Parallel Galaxy contest. Our inquiries went unanswered, but it should be a great opportunity for students to dress up in that outfit they are reluctant to wear to class. Show starts Sunday evening at 9. ■* I . ByLizaHoltmeier Senior Reporter They may sound like a herd of elephants invading Lincoln, except they have more rhythm and a lot more pizazz. Twenty-seven clogging teams from Nebraska and surrounding states will congregate in Lincoln this weekend for the fifth annual “Clog Your Socks Off” event. And the point is intergenerational entertainment, said Olivia Harrison, director of Capital City Cloggers Inc. “Well, it’s just fun, and that’s all I have to say about it,” Harrison said. Sponsored by the group at St. John’s Gym, 7601 Vine St., the event consists of two days of workshops, competitions and performances. i ne weekend Degins witn a series of workshops starting tonight and continuing Saturday. Nationally rec ognized clogging instructors Chip Woodall and Scotty Bilz will teach participants 12 different dances. Harrison said a highlight of the workshops would be the opportunity to learn the dances from “Riverdance.” “Riverdance,” a show based on the step dance of the British Isles, originally starred Irish dancers Michael Flatley and Jean Butler. It has enjoyed major success as a Broadway and touring show and is now available on video. “Who would have thought we would get to learn ‘Riverdance?’” Harrison asked. “That’s the impor tance of this event: To give Midwesterners the chance to improve their clogging and keep up with what’s current.” Woodall and Bilz also will teach a beginning class for children ages four to six, a couple routine class empha sizing turns and a progressive step class incorporating arm movements. After tonight’s W6fkshopv%e Capital City Cloggers will sponsor an individual competition judged b^ Woodall, Bilz and Lincoln dance instructor Stephanie Chase. They will judge what Harrison calls “Rise and Shine” numbers: 32 beat pieces emphasizing timing, tap sounds, use of a variety of steps, use of the stage and stage presence. Competitors will compete in two categories - novice and challenge - for first, second and third places. All competitors will be awarded partici pant ribbons. The event ends with an exhibition show on Saturday night at 7. The show is open to the public, and the Capital City Cloggers suggest a $4 donation for spectators. During the performance, a Capital City Cloggers exhibition team will perform its award-winning routine to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The team placed second at the Midwestern Region Dance-Off in Phoenix, Ariz. Other teams will perform to a variety ot music, trom traditional clogging songs like “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” to 1950s and country music. Clogging originated in the Appalachian Mountain region. It draws on a number of dance influ ences including traditional Native American dance, the step dance of the British Isles and the solo “buck and wing” dance of American blacks. Originally tapped and stomped to country and bluegrass music, modern clogging now uses jazz and modern music as well. “It’s a combination between tap and the Irish jig,” explained Geri Lorenzen, Capital City Cloggers pub licity chairwoman. “It’s sort of the American version of ‘Riverdance,’ except we use a lot of arms.” Lorenzen said members of Capital City Cloggers ranged in age from 4 to 75, and she described clog ging as a family oriented pastime. “Once people get involved, they tend to involve other members, of their families,” Lorenzen explained. “Our director has a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law and five or six grandkids involved.” Harrison said while the Capital City Cloggers boasted a membership of 300, they were still challenged to increase clogging’s exposure in the Midwest. “We’re kind of stuck out here away from the center of clogging activity,” Harrison explained. “It’s important that we (play) host (to) events like this to improve our knowl edge and help Midwestern cloggers.” Michael Warren/DN VETERAN CLOGGERS Rhonda Werner and Bob Stoddard practice a clogging routine Tuesday. Werner, a member of the clogging group “Rhythm Express,” has clogged for about five years. Stoddard, who has clogged for about eight years, clogs with the group just for fun, he said. YO co//ege or Hair uesien Great Products • PAUL MITCHELL • NEXXUS • KMS • GOLDWELL • BACK TO BASICS -ICON • AVEDA • REDKEN • BIOSILK • NIOXIN • ANASAZI • BIOLAGE • ROFFLER • SENSCIENCE • BAIN DE TERRE • RUSK Great Prices Look for our coupons In Paper Money, ABC Campus Cash L. College Coupons Great Location • 5 Blocks south of UNL Campus • Plenty of street side parking • All StarTran buses pass our doors • FREE Parking with Park-N-Shop In the Carriage Park Garage 1/2 block south of our front doors Monday: Product Retail 8, Refill Tues Ik Thurs: 9am-7pm Wed Frl: 9am-5pm Sat: 7:30am-3pm