Pumpkin's
solo debut
stands out
By Jim Zavodny
Staff Reporter
The collection of albums coming
out today is a lackluster group com
pared to weeks past. The solo debut
of Smashing Pumpkins guitarist
James Iha is the only new major label
release that stands out in the lot.
The “Boss” Bruce Springsteen
offered Joe Gruschecky and the
Houserockers some help with their
new album, “Coming Home,” by co
writing four of the tracks on the
record.
RCA releases more material from
Elvis Presley this week, a six-LP box
set on four compact discs originally
put out in 1984. Jazz enthusiasts
ought to check out Universal’s
“Priceless Jazz Sampler Volume 2,”
which includes music from Gil
Evans, Duke Ellington and Ramsey
Lewis.
ncicaaes; reo. iv
Bedhead: “Transaction de Novo”
(Trance Syndicate)
Come: “Gently, Down the
Stream” (Matador)
The Diggers: “Mount Everest”
(Big Deal)
Joe Grufchecky and the
Houserockers: “Coming Home”
(Viceroy)
James Iha: “Let It Come Down”
(Virgin)
Elvis Presley: “Golden
Celebration” (RCA)
Various Artists: “Priceless Jazz
Sampler: Volume 2” (Universal)
Sugarsmack: “Tank Top City”
(Sire)
Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers:
“Switching Gears” (Blindpig)
James Iha
“Let It Come Down”
Virgin Records
Grade: C
The sensitive side of Smashing
Pumpkins guitarist and singer-song
writer James Iha comes out in his
solo debut, titled “Let It Come
Down.” Most of the songs on the
album convey Iha’s feelings of love
and well being, backed by an
acoustic guitar and his soft, gentle
voice.
Produced by Iha and Jim Scott,
who has worked with Tom Petty and
Jewel in the past, “Let It Come
Down” also includes cameos from
Pumpkins’ bassist D’Arcy, Veruca
Salt’s Nina Gordon and Fountain of
Wayne’s Adam Schelsinger.
The songs on “Let It Come
Down” sound like some of the
Pumpkins’ slower tunes, especially
the song “Blew Away” from the
album “Pisces Ischariot,” one of the
few songs Iha has written that
Corgan allowed on an album.
But despite the supporting cast
and Iha’s experiences with the
Pumpkins, all of the tracks on the
record basically sound the same.
It doesn’t break any new musical
ground, and Iha should have stayed
with the hard-driven rock sound that
he is more familiar with instead of
the country twang found on the
album.
- Jim Zavodny
o n d
Screen actors bring
poetry to Kimball Hall
From Staff Reports
Two film and screen actors have joined their love of acting with their
passion for poetry in a touring poetry-reading performance.
Veteran actors Anthony Zerbe and Roscoe Lee Browne bring “Poetry in
Motion: Beyond the Broken Words,” an eclectic reading of modern and
post-modern poetry to Kimball Hall tonight for an 8 o’clock performance.
Zerbe, a career film actor, appeared in the beloved Western “Cool Hand
Luke,” Stephen King’s “Dead Zone” and “Papillion,” along with feature
appearances in “Mission Impossible” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
Primarily a television star, Browne won an Emmy for his work on “The
Cosby Show” and was nominated for another for “Barney Miller.” Recently,
he narrated the critically acclaimed film about the precocious little pig,
“Babe.”
Browne, whose love of poetry comes from his parents, participated in a
poetry-education program in Los Angeles 20 years ago. He revised the pro
gram when he teamed up with Zerbe to create “Poetry in Motion*”
The performance includes readings of pieces by Edna St. Vincent
Millay, W.H. Auden, T.S. Eliot, e.e. cummings and Dylan Thomas.
Tickets are $ 18 and $ 14, half price for students.
Grad assistant starts
choir for clarinetists
New series
aims to raise
IQs for arts
Generally speaking, it’s the last
section you’ll read in the Daily
Nebraskan. Depending on your inter
ests, you may not read it at all.
But starting today, the Daily
Nebraskan’s Arts and Entertainment
section is providing something new. —
This something is a weekly series
called “In Appreciation Of... ” It will
run every Tuesday for the remainder
of the semester on the Daily
Nebraskan’s back page, and it is
intended to be a starter’s guide to
appreciating different kinds of art.
Some of these art forms - rock
‘n’ roll, hip-hop and television - are
relatively common. Others - opera,
dance and classical music - aren’t.
But we at the Daily Nebraskan hope
each week’s installment will provide
some sort of insight regarding art
forms that you haven’t experienced
or understood.
This week marks the debut of “In
Appreciation Of...with an entire
page dedicated to architecture.
Dubbed by many as the inescapable
art, architecture has a place in
Lincoln that can go unrecognized by
the untrained eye. But upon further
__L X*__J At_A At_r_t^A
By Barb Churchill
Assignment Reporter
Michelle Hall has a challenge for the students of
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Hall, a graduate teaching assistant in clarinet,
wants all available clarinet players to join the universi
ty’s newest ensemble - the UNL Clarinet Choir.
Hall, the organizer and director of the Clarinet
Choir, said she wants the ensemble’s lineup to go
beyond the walls of Westbrook Music Building.
“A school this size should be able to offer this
ensemble, even though there are only 12 to 18 available
clarinet majors in the music school, because there are
plenty of people who played clarinet in their high
school bands, marching bands or in the available area
junior symphonies,” she said.
“All of these people would probably love to play in
a friendly, cordial atmosphere. I can’t believe these
folks wouldn’t want to continue playing.”
Hall is looking forward to directing the UNL
Clarinet Choir, because she used to direct several clar
inet choirs and even a few symphonic bands in Ohio.
“Conducting in front of a bigger group is nice,
because it gives me an opportunity to be in front of an
ensemble,” Hall said, “and as a professional musician
and conductor, I need to do this.”
And Hall is starting this ensemble even though her
schedule would discourage most people from taking
even the slightest extra responsibility.
Hall is married, has three grown children, is taking
13 graduate credits, teaches clarinet methods class,
teaches all the clarinet minors on campus, practices her
clarinet if she has a few free moments and takes a few
minutes daily to prepare for her two upcoming recitals.
But to Hall, starting the ensemble was a no-brainer.
“There are no other like-instrument ensembles at
UNL. The clarinet choir is one of the primary instru
ii
I think its a great
opportunity for us to play
literature we wouldn’t
otherwise be able to play”
AlainaWood
UNL Clarinet Choir member
mental groups, and it does more to reinforce many
aspects of playing, she said. “Teaching people to play
music, to sight-read music and play it musically the
first time out reinforces good habits that will carry
over into any other ensemble they’re doing.”
Several clarinet majors attended the first rehearsal
of the Clarinet Choir on Monday. Many said they were
pleased with the idea of this new group.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to play litera
ture we wouldn’t otherwise be able to play,” said Alaina
Wood, clarinetist and graduate teaching assistant in
music education. “And it’s a good opportunity for peo
ple who played in high school to play their clarinets
again.”
Dan Wilson, a senior music major in clarinet per
formance, agreed.
“I think it’s a good chance for all these clarinet
players to come out and have a good time without the
pressure of grades or performance,” Wilson said.
The new UNL Clarinet Choir meets every Monday
evening from 5:30 to 6:30 in Room 104 of Westbrook
Music Building. Music is provided, and instruments
and lockers are available. For further information, con
tact Hall at whall@acad2.dana.edu or Diane Cawein,
assistant professor of clarinet, at (402) 472-0582.
Noise tno to perform at Knickerbockers
From Staff Reports
For everyone in Lincoln who
enjoys punishment and torture
through music, tonight is your
night.
Unsane, a noise-rock trio from
New York City’s gritty underground
rock scene, is appearing at
Knickerbockers, 901 O St., tonight
with Today is the Day and
Armatron.
The show is in support of
Unsane’s latest release
“Occupational Hazard” on the
bands' new label, Relapse Records.
The band has been together for the
past 10 years and some say
“Occupational Hazard,” is their
heaviest and most punishing
release yet.
Hard grooves, deep bass and
immense vocal hostility character
ize the band's killer sound. Unsane
is probably best known by the sur
prisingly popular video for their
song “Scrape,” which features a
series of painful-looking skate
board wrecks.
After touring with the likes of
Neurosis, Entombed, Cows,
Orange 9mm and Slayer, the band
was ready to embark on a grueling
tour of their own with labelmates
Today is the Day.
The show starts at about 10:30
p.m. For more information call
Knickerbockers at 476-6865.
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more to tiie Star City than strip malls
and fast-food restaurants.
Read on, and hopefully you will,
too.
As this series plods along, I
encourage readers’ feedback, both
positive and negative. And even if we
don’t hear from you, the mighty fine
folks at the Daily Nebraskan hope
you can put at least a few install
ments of this series to good use -
other than the bird cage, that is.
Randall is a junior news-editori
al major and the Daily Nebraskan
arts and entertainment editor.
