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By Sarah Baker
Staff Reporter
They are two bands that don’t suck.
But according to Floating Opera pianist
Richard Rebarber, that’s not die only reason
Friday’s double bill of Floating Opera and
Lincoln’s own Mercy Rule is sure to draw a
crowd.
“This is a big show,” said Rebaiber, who is
also a University ofNebraska-Lincoln professor
of mathematics. “This is die first time Mercy
Rule has ever headlined a show with Floating
Opera.”
This may not seem like a big deal, but
because of the history behind Floating Opera,
it definitely is.
Most of Floating Opera’s six core musi
cians are part of other musical acts, three of
those six being in Mercy Rule.
“Mercy Rule is a really important part of
the group,” Rebaiber said. “Floating Opera
brings together bands who each have a very
different approach to making music.”
Rebarber said Friday’s show would
include the core members of Floating Opera,
as well as some guests, bringing the total to
about nine people, most of whom will almost
always be on the stage.
After Floating Opera is done playing, the
three members of Mercy Rule will then take
the stage for another set
Rebarber said Floating Opera shows are
few and far between for a reason.
“We try not to play too often, only about
once every three months,” he said. “We don’t
want to saturate the market. We want a
Floating Opera show to be something special.”
Even though they don’t play all that often,
Rebarber said he thought the band still had a
loyal fan base.
“We definitely have a distinct following,” he
said “Ws are a really song-oriented band, and I
think thatis something that draws the crowd”
He said he thought a lot of people might be
surprised at what they heard at the show.
“We’ve changed a lot of things since the
CD came out (1997’s ‘Everybody’s
Somebody fe Monster),” Rebaiber said “Our
sound is so different from Mercy Rule’s. This
is a great show because you’re going to get to
hear Floating Opera playing with finesse, and
Mercy Rule bashing things out”
Rebarber said the show will include one
new song, as well as some unrecorded work.
“We try to incorporate at least one new
song into every show,” he said
Rebaiber said although he is always look
ing for new musicians to add to the group, the
main core of the group is as stable as ever.
“I used to think qf Floating Opera as a col
lective group, but now I think of them as a real
band,” he said
Floating Opera and Mercy Rule will play
at Knickerbockers, 901 O St., Friday night.
The show begins at 10:45 p.m. and is open to
people who are 18 and over.
For tickets or more information, call
Knickerbockers at (402) 476-6865.
Children of all ages wage war at Laser Quest
LASER from page 5
they practice alone. On average, each member
puts in two hours of practice time a week.
For non-members, the regulars would
likely shred people apart
UNL student Andy Schuerman, a junior
business education major, invited his fhends,
Chanda Miller and Aleta Anthony for a game.
It was Miller’s and Anthony Is first time at laser
tag. It was Schuerman^ second time.
“I didn’t know what to expect at first,”
Schuerman said, “It was sweaty. I can under
stand how it attracts a lot of ages.”
Miller, a junior international affairs major,
said she thought she was a decent shot before
going into the arena
“It’sgreat for people who don’t want to sit
through a movie, people like us who have too
much energy.”
Anthony, a junior secondary education
major, said laser tag was a decent alternative
to the party scene.
“I’m sort of expecting it to be like
‘Mission: Impossible,’ lots of dives and rolls,”
Anthony said
Twenty minutes later, Anthony, Miller and
Schuerman emerged, sweat-soaked and exhil
arated
“I found myself being more competitive
because I knew where to go this time,”
Schuerman said
Anthony wasn’t quite as happy. She
placed seventh in the game.
“I’m a little frustrated. I’m a fairly com
petitive person,” she said.
Miller placed second. She compared die
experience to Anthony’s parallel to “Mission:
Impossible.”
“I loved it, I was really getting into it,
crouching and hiding out,” she said
Schuerman said downtown would be a
perfect place to have another Laser Quest
arena.
“It’s something you can do and be com
petitive as you want or as recreational as you
want,” he said
Slightly Stoopid
“The Longest Baird Ride”
Skunk Records
Grade: A
Skunk Records, the label started in part by the late
Brad Nowell of Sublime, is doing very well for itself.
Bands that have been or are on the label include Sublime,
Long Beach Dub All-Stars, the Ziggens and Slightly
Stoopid, the last of which is probably right now the best
band on the label.
Slightly Stoopid, hailing from San Diego, is three
guys who blend reggae and punk into a mix that even
Sublime had a tough time keeping up with. The Brad
Nowell influence on the band is obvious, with “The
Longest Barrel Ride” sounding like a less-ska and more
reggae version of Sublime’s “40 Oz. to Freedom.”
The album is the band’s second on Skunk Records,
and it contains fewer punk songs than the last one.
However, songs such as “Johnny Law” and “Sinking
atone still contain the driving guitar that pushed their
last self-titled record.
“Castles of Sand” opens of the album with a slow reg
gae groove and features a keyboard following along. The
song is truly representative of the twenty songs on the
record and serves as a great lead-in for the rest of the CD.
“Mr. Music” is another solid reggae sing-along which
is distinguished by Adam’s solid drum beats, which real
ly push the song along. “Jedi” is Slightly Stoopid’s con
tribution of a Star Wars reference that features bassist
Kyle on a short solo and Tim Wu as a guest on saxo
phone.
While every song on the disc is notable and each is
worthy of mention, “Ese Loco” is probably the best song
here. It features slow reggae sections and well as hard
rocking parts that show the versatility of Slightly
Stoopid, and it is the type of song that can stay on repeat
for a while.
Slightly Stoopid may not be known on every block,
but their music is good enough that most everyone can
get something from this record. So be the first cool kid
you know and pick this one up.
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-.S;'ic!^^ A A I Ik ^ I A I M
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i Catch the Excitement of the
Omaha Royals
Sign up for tickets for the July 17th game at the
Nebraska Union Information Desk.
Students $5.00/Non-Students $8.00
Price includes meal, tickets, and transportation
^ Ticket sales end on July 15th at noon
Sponsored by the University Program Council
Please join us at Grassy Groves between the Nebraska Union and
Administration Building and enjoy the music of ASPEN, July 9
from 12 noon-lp.m. Grab a hot dog and pop for only $1..
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