Return of
Nelson leads
new releases
ByJimZavodny
Staff Reporter
Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry
Cantrell today joins a growing list of
artists going solo with the release of
his new album, “Boggy Depot”
Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott
Weiland, former Guns ‘N’ Roses gui
tarist Izzy Stradlin and James Iha of
the Smashing Pumpkins are three
musicians who have already put out
solo records this year.
Back after a long hiatus, those
blonde twins - no not the Hanson
brothers - Gunnar and Matthew
Nelson have finally returned to the
face of the earth with the release of
their second album, “Imaginator.”
The only thing is, did anyone notice
they were gone?
A few of today’s punk and indie
rock releases aim to gain some atten
tion. Avail’s latest offering, ex-Galaxie
500 members Damon and Naomi, die
Suicide Machines’ “Battle Hymns,”
one of Matador Records’ latest dis
coveries, the Bassholes, and Epitaph’s
Zeke make up the core of this groi?>.
A compilation of ska bands, clev
erly tided “Ska After Ska After Ska,”
makes its debut today. The album,
culled from the Treasure Isle label,
contains music ffom ska pioneers the
Skatalites, the Silverstones and the
Dominoes.
New Releases: April 7,1998
2 Live Crew: “The Real One”
(LiT Joe)
Avail: “Over the James”
(Lookout)
Bassholes: “Long Way Blues
1996-1998” (Matador)
Jerry Cantrell: “Boggy Depot”
(Columbia)
Joe Cocker: “Across from
Midnight” (CMC Int’l)
Damon and Naomi: “Playback
Singers” (Sub Pop)
The Fixx: “Elemental”(CMC
Int’l)
Tom Jones: “Greatest
Performances” (32 Pop)
Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues:
“Sacred Island” (Private/Windham
Hill)
Nelson: “Imaginator” (Fuel 2000)
Bonnie Raitt: “Fundamental”
(Capitol)
Various Artists: “Ska After Ska
After Ska” (Heartbeat/Rounder)
Stabbing Westward: “Darkest
Days” (Columbia)
Suicide Machines: “Battle
Hymns” (Hollywood)
Zeke: “Kicked in the Teeth”
(Epitaph)
Courtesy Photo
JERRY CARTRELL, former song
writer and guitarist for Alice in
Chains, releases bis first sole
albom, “Boggy Depot,” today.
Messin’ with Mahler
Haydn also to be played tonight
By Barb Churchill
Assignment Reporter
Tonight, the Lincoln Symphony
Orchestra wants to experiment with
the classics.
Tonight’s concert by the LSO car
ries the theme of “Majestic Mahler”
because the LSO will perform
Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde”
(The Song of the Earth) in a little-used
arrangement by Arnold Schoenberg.
This is significant because the
chamber version of “Das Lied von der
Erde” calls for only 13 instrumental
ists, instead of the 100-plus musicians
called for in the Mahler-orchestrated
version. “Das Lied von der Erde” also
features two singers: alto Lisa Ramos
and tenor Bo Sone.
The Schoenberg arrangement has
rarely been heard in the United States,
mainly because it was not completed
at the time of Schoenberg’s death.
Composer Rainer Riehn finished the
arrangement in 1983, and the
Schoenberg/Riehn arrangement was
first performed on July 23,1983.
“Even if you’ve heard (The Song
of the Earth) before, it’ll be like
you’ve never heard it before,” said
Jeth Mill, executive director of the
LSO.
Using an arrangement of “Das
Lied von der Erde,” as opposed to the
original score, was a no-brainer for
Mill.
“The Lincoln Symphony just
doesn’t have the musicians to do the
whole, big piece. By doing (the
Schoenberg arrangement) instead, we
can showcase our best players and
perform a major work,” Mill said.
“Besides, for my money, none of
the emotional power is lost in the
Schoenberg arrangement.”
Emotionalism was the key to
Mahler’s music and life, Mill said.
Mahler, who died in 1911, was known
more as a conductor than a composer
during his lifetime, conducting the
high-powered Vienna Philharmonic
and the Vienna State Opera.
Mahler wanted to be known as a
composer, not just as a conductor.
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wasn’t appreciated during his life
time, Mahler’s life was characterized
with depression, identity and image
problems.
It took the persistence of Leonard
Bernstein, while he was the conductor
of the New York Philharmonic in the
1960s, to get Mahler’s music known
and appreciated. Bernstein performed
Mahler’s music as often as he could,
Mill said.
And that’s a good thing, Mill said,
because “there is a wonderful humor
and range of emotions running though
Mahler’s music. It really connects on
an emotional level.”
You definitely can sense Mahler’s
unease and gradual acceptance of his
own mortality throughout his music,
Mill said.
“Mahler’s music goes through the
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darkness and triumphs in the light,” he
said.
To close the evening, the LSO will
play Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony
#94” (The “Surprise” Symphony).
The choice of such a cheerful, light
weight piece to close such an ambi
tious program seems unusual, but
actually was well-planned, Mill said.
“After the heaviness and weight of
the Mahler, (“Symphony #94”) would
be a nice dessert,” Mill said.
The LSO concert starts at 7:30
p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall. Ticket
prices are $30, $24 and $18, with stu
dent tickets at half-price.
UNL graduate’s
images in Sheldon
By Jason Hardy
Senior Reporter
Sometimes life changes so quickly
that subtle details are overlooked.
This spring, the Sheldon Memorial
Art Gallery will showcase a collection
where the details are of utmost impor
tance.
Today through June 14 the gallery
will feature “The White Paintings” by
Carol Haerer as part of its “Sheldon Solo”
series, which focuses on the art of nation
ally recognized contemporary artists.
Also tonight, Haerer, who is origi
nally from North Platte and a graduate
of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
will be back to visit the gallery at 5:30
for a public reception of her artwork.
Haerer, who lives in New York, said
she was excited to have her work show
cased at her alma mater.
“It’s delightful. I’m very pleased at
that,” Haerer said. “I feel that it was here
that I really learned how to make serious
art
“I’m extremely grateful to all the
professors and teachers I had at the art
department here. I feel very grateful
that the Sheldon invited me to show.”
The collection on display is called
“The White Paintings.” The art was
painted between 1965 and 1976. At first
glance, the paintings appear to be just
white canvases. However, upon further
inspection, the paintings feature a mul
titude of subtle colors and shapes hid
den within die layers of paint
Dan Siedell, curator for the gallery,
said Haerer’s paintings have to be expe
rienced firsthand to get the true effect
“Her paintings really defy repro
duction,” Siedell said. “It’s really art
work that you have to see and experi
ence.”
He said the elements of each paint
ing become apparent only when viewed
r 3
in person.
“There are subtle images that
emerge,” Siedell said. “They begin to
yield all kinds of other complex things.”
Haerer said her paintings are very
interactive with the viewer and that over
time the elements of each painting have
a tendency to change for each particular
viewer.
“When you first look at it, it might
look just white with some fuzziness, but
as you look at it you begin to notice dif
ferent colors,” Haerer said. “You have to
really stand and let the painting come to
you.”
Most of the paintings are fairly large
and they range in shapes. Haerer said
the inspiration for the sizes and shapes
came, in part, from her growing up with
the enormous Nebraska sky above her.
“I was wanting to paint walls,”
Haerer said. “Some of die shape paint
ings were meant to £cho someone’s
field of vision.”
Also on display will be two of
Haerer’s new pieces, which are white
paintings on both sides of sanded pieces
of Plexiglas. She said these pieces also
are meant to be very interactive with the
viewer.
“The new paintings change as you
move past it, and as the angle of the light
changes they will change,” Haerer said.
She said change is a recurring
theme in her work because it is such a
big part of life.
“That’s what lives are about - con
stant change,” Haerer said. “You think
you know something and you look at it
from a different angle and, oops, it’s
changed.”
For more information about the
exhibition or the reception call the
Sheldon at (402) 472-2461.
Jerry Cantrell
“Boggy Depot”
Columbia
Grade: A
Consider this record Jerry
Cantrell’s autobiography.
For those of you living under a
rock for the past eight years, Jerry
Cantrell is the longtime guitarist and
secondary vocalist for Alice in
Chains. Alice in Chains was known
for its emotional nature, powerful
lyrics and excellent musicianship.
Cantrell felt die need to release a solo
album because AIC hasn’t been
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Cantrell’s solo effort is a good,
solid album that is reminiscent of
AIC but obyously isn’t an AIC
release. Cantrell just doesn’t have the
vocal power or range to do justice to
all of die disparate song styles on this
album, although he tries his best
However, Cantrell’s album is
good enough that it should succeed in
die current “pop happy” culture. It
succeeds on its own terms, achieving
a true marriage between music, lyrics
and expression rarely seen anyWhere
except in the music of AIC and other
“Seattle sound” bands.
Whether or not the record-buy
ing public will buy into Cantrell’s
troubled, despondent take on rela
tionships, friendships and life in gen
eral is another story. But hardcore
AIC aficionados, as well as others
looking for a more sophisticated
musical outlet for their unbridled
nihilism, will enjoy this album
immensely.
Cantrell’s album creates and sus
tains a disconsolate, down and
depressing world view. From the
words to the music to the orchestra
tion, this album delivers a satisfying,
sympathetic and even rhapsodic
musical take on despair and agony in
all its forms.
The best song on this album is the
current hit single “Cut You In.” “Cut
You In” refers to the phenomenon of
fair-weather friends. There are sever
al unusual features that add to the
complexity and fun of this song,
including the ska-type rhythms
imposed against troubled lyrics such
as “I call you up whenever I’m
stoned.... You wonder when I’ll go
away. If I could deal with it, I would
have stayed.”
The second-best song on this
album is “Jesus Hands.” The music is
extremely expressive here, ranging
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to clashing power chords in the
refrain. This is an excellent and
extremely powerful song, which
reminds you that sometimes it takes a
miracle to get someone to admit a dif
ferent point of view.
Other songs of note include
“Satisfy,” “Hurt A Long Time,”
“Cold Piece” and “Devil By My
Side.” One common thread running
through all of them are references to
AIC lead singer Layne Staley and his
pervasive, well-known drug prob
lems. Cantrell uses many of his lyrics
to convey extreme worry about
Staley’s condition, even asking once
(during “Satisfy”) “One request -
choose to live....”
“Boggy Depot” is relentlessly
downbeat, full of references to failed
relationships and Staley’s drug prob
lems, making it a good record to play
on rainy days, depressing days - or
any days, for that matter.
-Barb Churchill