The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 08, 1998, Page 9, Image 9

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    Ensemble to perform
melodic musical mix
By Barb Churchill
Assignment Reporter
Tonight, your ideas of what a per
cussion ensemble can do wall be chal
lenged.
The University of Nebraska
Lincoln Percussion Ensemble is hold
ing its spring concert this evening.
UNL Percussion Ensemble conductor
John DeStefano, assistant band direc
tor and percussion instructor, believes
the audience will enjoy this concert
“People think (percussion ensem
bles) are all loud, dynamic rhythmic
music. And, yes, we do play that, but
we also have the ability to be quiet A
percussion ensemble by itself can cre
ate melodies and harmonies,”
DeStefano said.
“It’s not your typical ensemble,
because there are no brass or wood
winds,” DeStefano said. “But we can
be as pretty as anyone else.”
The UNL Percussion Ensemble
uses every known percussion instru
ment caiH irw-luHirirr tirm_
pani, all forms of drums, xylophone,
marimba, vibraphone, bells, chimes,
piano, harmonium, celeste, electronic
percussion and many other instruments
too numerous to list. Instruments as
disparate as a police whistle and a
marching machine may be used as per
cussion instruments.
“The stage should be completely
full, because we use all the percussion
instruments we have,” DeStefano said.
The UNL Percussion Ensemble is
made up of 17 different musicians.
Sixteen of them are music majors,
DeStefano said, but the 17th individual
is quite unusual.
That’s because Wilson Akortia, the
17th member, is a foreign exchange
student from Ghana. African music is
known to be quite percussive and
rhythmic, with extensive usage of dif
ferent types of drums, mallets and
other percussion instruments.
DeStefano is proud to feature
Akortia as lead drummer in “Ghana
Dance Music,” written and arranged by
Akortia.
‘“Ghana Dance Music’ is tradition
«—
We use all the
percussion
instruments we
have.”
John DeStefano
percussion instructor
al African music that the audience
should enjoy,” DeStefano said.
In addition to “Ghana Dance
Music,” tiie UNL Percussion Ensemble
is playing F. Michael Combs’
“Antiphon,” Pat Methany’s “Letters
From Home” (arranged by
DeStefano), Julie Johnsonis “Vision of
Mars,” Tom Gaugeris “Portico,” Steven
Paxton’s “Chorale” and Chick Corea’s
“Central Park” (arranged by Jeff
Hunter).
This program encompasses many
different types of music, including a
jazz ballad (“Letters from Home”), a
slow melodic work (“Chorale”), a
world premiere (“Vision of Mars”) and
an up-tempo jazz-funk piece featuring
a full rhythm section of piano, bass and
drum set in addition to the more
expected instrumentation.
The up-tempo jazz-funk piece is
“Central Park.”
“The great thing about ‘Central
Park’ is that you get the chance to hear
the percussion ensemble against the
rhythm section, and it’s a very nice
effect,” DeStefano said.
The program is eclectic, DeStefano
said, but he did have a goal in mind.
“I’ve tried to pick newer pieces that
not only have good educational value,
but also are fim to play for our students
and fun to listen to by our audience,”
DeStefano said.
The UNL Percussion Ensemble
concert is tonight at 7 in Kimball
Recital Hall. Admission is free.
across the U.S.
• - f ■ '***.* • V •' ^
I
By Sarah Baker
Senior Reporter
Take off your bra and send it to the
president
Hey, it’s for a good cause.
The National Bra Tapestry, a 40
foot wide by 100-foot tall tapestry
made of bras that creates an image of
the Statue of Liberty, is one man's way
of attempting to advance breast can
cer research.
Nicolino, the conceptual artist and
art director for the project, said he
hopes to gather 40,000 bras for the
project.
“The bras are symbolic,” Nicolino
said. “They are a political request by
women all across the country to get
Clinton to do more breast cancer pre
vention research.”
The tapestry is slated to travel
throughout the United States and end
up in Washington, D.C., where it will
then be presented to President Clinton
in the hopes to advance breast cancer
Nicolino said the basic design of
the tapestry will consist of an outline
of the Statue of Liberty, made out of
colored bras, and the rest of the pic
ture will be filled in with the remain
ing white bras. The torch is a special
attraction.
“We are hoping to collect ‘celebri
ty bras’ to make up the torch on the
tapestry,” Nicolino said. “So far we
don’t have any, but we plan to contact
Madonna, Sharon Stone and Dolly
Parton”
Nicolino said he is working with
R. Singer and Soma Grismaijer,
authors of “Dressed to Kill: The Link
Between Breast Cancer and Bras” on
the project.
*‘I first got involved when the
authors contacted me about creating a
public event surrounding this idea,
and I was delighted with it,” Nicolino
said.
Nicolino said the book advances
the theory of a negative impact from
wearing constricting clothing, partic
ularly bras. He also said the book
shows results from a study stating that
in non-bra-wearing countries, the rate
of breast cancer patients with the dis
ease in their family history were 1
in 168, whereas in Nebraska,,
the rate is 1 in 8.
“Even though this
research has been done, it
is being virtually
ignored,” he said. “So
we’re going to the presi
dent”
Nicolino said he has
worked on a similar pro
ject before.
“In 19941 did a project
called ‘Bras Across the Grand Av
Canyon,’which dealt j /
with social and political
commentary,”
Nicolino said. “It was a
personal and artistic
eXpre&m&i around
breast obsession in
Western cultures.”
Although the main concept
of the tapestry is a political
statement, Nicolino said he
thought the artistic aspect of the
project was equally important
“I view this project as some
thing pretty unique,” he said.
“Thousands of people can participate
in one single artistic adventure. The
idea of getting many people involved
is really exciting to me.” _
Nicolino said the tapestry will H
travel to cities where more than ^
1,000 bras are donated, and he
invited women in Lincoln to jom m on
the offerings.
Anyone who is interested in
donating should send their bras to:
The National Bra Tapestry, 4298
Vineland Avenue, Studio City, Calif.,
91602.
Polka to invade the Zoo Bar
By Jason Hardy
Senior Reporter
Polka is where it’s at
Or at least that’s what the Denton,
Texas, band Brave Combo wants you to
think,
They’ve been playing various styles
of polkas, waltzes, mambos, two-steps
and rock ’n' roll for the past 19 years.
But the craziness is just beginning.
Tbesday Brave Combe released yet
another new album - their 19* U.S.
release - “Polka Party With Brave
Combo: Live and Wild,” aid on April
i_a _1 _ .a _
+*** iuv uauu win piajr at 1 iiv
Simpsons” 200* episode party in Los
Angeles. Matt Greening, “Simpsons”
creator, is a longtime Brave Combo fan
and invited them to play the star-stud
ded event
Even with all that going on, Lincoln
lucked out, because tonight Brave
Combo will light up the Zoo Bar’s stage
with an arsenal of wacky music that
even frontman Carl Finch has trouble
describing.
“If you just sort of heard us in a
quick moment you’d think ’rock band
playing weird music,”’ Finch said.
He said the group was influenced
by many different musical styles and
that they have more than 600 songs they
can play, 60 to 70 of which are origi
nals.
“We just keep trying to play new
things so we don’t get bored,” Finch
said
The songs the band plays range in
style from traditional Greek music and
1950s crooner-type songs to genres that
defy spelling.
Finch said the unhipness of what
Brave Combo is doing is part of what
makes them hip.
“We don’t seek out any sort of cur
rent trends,” Finch said “We don’t want
to spoon-feed people stuff that they’re
already getting”
Janet Froschheiser, manager of
Homers, 2711 S. 48m St., said Brave
Combo helped to make polka and other
types of music appealing to younger
generations. .
“I got one of their albums for my
brother-in-law, who is 19 now. He was
16 when he got it, and he just loved it,”
Froschheiser said. “A lot of people who
put down polka haven’t really listened
to it”
Finch said people often are too
judgmental when they listen to music,
and he hopes Brave Combo will make
people a little more receptive to things
that traditionally seem nerdy.
“I would like for people to have a
more open mind when they come to
music,” Finch said. “A lot of those old
things that our parents listen to, if you
take the squareness out of it, you can
see that there’s some value there and
some merit”
What goes around comes around,
because Finch said a lot of older Czech
musicians like Brave Combo Is music,
just as Finch has always liked theirs.
“They almost always dig it,” Finch
said. “We regularly play all the big
Czech festivals in Texas.”
Lincoln is always a great place to
play, Finch said. The band usually
comes here about three times a year,
and he said it is always fun.
“It’s one of our favorite places. We
have a lot of friends there,” Finch said.
“It feels like home to be there, and I
really mean that”
Froschheiser said Brave Combo
shows in the past have been great fun.
“I think it’s because they’re a really
fun party band,” she said. “Itfc uplifting
music, and everybody can dance to it”
As for the future of Brave Combo,
Finch said, anything is possible.
“Ifyoucangetarock ’n’ roll crowd
to admit they like polka, you can do
anything.”
Tonight’s concert starts at 9 at the
Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St. The cover
charge is $9.
Megadeth alive, well
in Lincoln tonight
__£
From Staff Reports
Megadeth just refuses to
die, despite the hopes of heavy
metal naysayers.
Formed in 1983, the often
derided but hugely successful
heavy metal group has watched
music fads come and go.
Tonight, Megadeth brings
its 15-year tradition of heavy
rock and long hair to the
Pershing Auditorium, 226
Centennial Mall South.
Originally slated for The
Royal Grove, the show had to
be rescheduled to the larger
venue because of the demand
for tickets.
This was no surprise for
most fans, who are well aware
of the group’s rock-solid fol
lowing. Megadeth’s newest
album, “Cryptic Writings” is
expected to soon join the
band’s three other platinum,
records.
1994’s “Youthanasia”
topped at number three on
“The Billboard 200,” the
industry album charts based on
number of sales.
Headed by ex-Metallica
member Dave Mustaine,
Megadeth has received criti
cism as being heavily deriva
tive of their heavy-metal prog
enitor.
These accusations are
countered by claims of authen
ticity and steadfastness in a
continually fluxing industry.
This persistence has been
rewarded with invitations to
Howard Stern’s recent birthday
party, where the band played
with David Bowie, and a recent
deal to work with Puff Daddy
on a new single.
Tonight’s show begins at 7.
Tickets are $20.