Web site allows users to design
DISCS from page 12
Manuel said the site has grown con
siderably in popularity since its concep
tion.
“We are experiencing a 40 to 50
percent growth every month,” he said.
Manuel said the Web site is aimed
at a 15- to 30-year-old demographic.
“Anyone who likes new music will
like our site,” he said. “We encompass
people who can’t shop in New York but
still like good music, as well as people
who have a good collection and now
want to be their own DJ.”
The songs are divided into two pri
mary categories, indie rock and
dance/electronica, and from there into
numerous, more descriptive sub-cate
gories such as trip-hop and illbient
Manuel said the tracks on the site
are priced competitive^, and many are
hard to find in a regular record store.
The site offers some free selections
in each genre, but users are required to
pay an initial $4.99 for their first selec
tion, no matter what the title is. Each
subsequent track ranges from $.69 to
$.99 each.
A disc with an average selection of
13 to 14 songs will run about $13, plus
shipping and handling charges.
“We offer the free tracks to get peo
ple introduced to the service and also to
get them to believe the deal is real,”
Manuel said. “From ordering to receiv
ing, we get much closer to the cus
tomer, and then they see it’s a real prod
uct, and it’s great”
As another bonus, customers who
have an e-mail account receive a letter
from the company once their disk is
shipped, usually within 24 hours of
placing the order, letting them know it
is on the way and encouraging feed
back once it is received.
Although the site offers a unique
opportunity for the musically inclined,
there are a few drawbacks.
The selection of music, for those
who are not fans of independent punk
or dance, is relatively limited. There are
no options for listeners ofTop 40, coun
try or just good old rock ‘n’ roll.
And the titles that are available can
be a bit misleading, too. The site, which
offers thousands of tracks, offers
absolutely no information regarding
which recording they come from.
“I Am a Scientist,” by Guided By
Voices, for example, is not the same
track that appears on the album, “Bee
Thousand” where it first appeared.
Instead of the usual lo-fi fuzz of the
album track, it combines some new
instrumentation with a more basic rock
beat.
In short, it’s not what a fan of
Guided By Voices would probably want
to hear.
Songs from artists such as Beck
and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
are offered, but these also are different
versions from what the listener may
have been expecting. Unfortunately,
the short clip offered on the Web is usu
ally not enough to detect variances in
the song.
As a whole, the tracks won’t offer
too many surprises, but the volume
level will.
The sound quality of tiie completed
CD varies tom normal to sub-par and
tiie volume jumps from track to track,
forcing the listener to adjust his or her
stereo throughout the disc.
Manuel blamed the sound variation
on the master copies, saying that since
there is no standard for digital master
ing, many of the levels vary.
He added that the site is working to
improve on the final sound quality of
the discs.
Additions of more pop and main
stream music may be in the future for
the site, but Manuel said first the site
needs to cut deals with more of the larg
er record companies who control those
artists.
The site has more improvements
planned for the future, including beef
ing up the selections offered currently,
keeping customer service at a high
level and making the site more user
friendly.
The process of selecting songs for
the CD can be rather, time-consuming,
but Manuel said he hopes people will
u
From ordering to
receiving we get
much closer to the
customer and then
they see its a real
product, and it's
great ”
Alan Manuel
CDuctive site founder
be patient when using the site.
“The only thing that holds people
back is time and just that it’s something
new,” he said. “Once they see someone
else’s CD, it’s brainless for them to
check it out because it’s cheap, and it’s
cool.”
Junior Brown crafts own musical style I
JUNIOR from page 12
moved to different places across the
country and developed his craft by a
number of different styles, including
western swing, bluegrass, rock ‘n’
roll and surf.
He even played a few luaus while
living in Hawaii.
He’s done it all, and his.new
album displays his talent like a junior
high trophy case. Songs such as
“Long Walk Back to San Antone”
and “The Better Half” showcase
Brown’s abilities as a singer and
songwriter. His baritone drawl pats
you on the back with tales of lost love
and rough days.
“I’m halfWay gone, but my better
half is coming home” sings Brown in
a song abouthis love for his wife
Tanya Rae, who, conveniently, is also
Brown’s rhythm guitarist.
“She’s a real great player and
that’s basically it,” Brown says. “We
always like to be together so it makes
it nice to be a team like that.”
Another song soon to be as clas
sic as a Cadillac is the roaring hot-rod
anthem “Freedom Machine,” a song
rampant with high speed licks and
twangy, string bends. Brown’s guitar
work on this song is nothing short of
amazing as he combines his expertise
of both steel and regular guitar play
ing.
Other standouts on the album are
a cover of Elvis’ “Rock-A-Hula
Baby,” the quick and quirky instru
mental “Peelin’ Taters,” and a nine
minute blues song simply titled
“Stupid Blues.”
Listening to the album it becomes
immediately obvious it was crafted
by a man who lives by playing the
music ho loves. And then that man
took it upon himself to create the
instrument that would make it possi
ble
That’s right, Brown is the sole
inventor and user of something he
calls the “Guit-Steel,” an invention
which fuses an electric guitar and a
steel guitar all in one body. He uses it
to play live shows so he can switch
back and forth from steel to electric
guitar.
And four albums and eight years
after he produced his first release,
“12 Shades of Brown,” he is still pio
neering his way through country
music without becoming stagnant
and routine, a fate befallen upon
many of today’s mainstream country
stars.
“Everybody likes variety in
music but the problem is when you
start not being like everybody else,”
Brown says.
“You have to kind of make your
own category, and that’s sort of what
I’ve done.”
Tonight’s 19-and-over roll in the
hay starts at 9 p.m. with opening act
Cactus Hill. The price is $ 14.
Somers to
take Lied
stage tonight
Thighmaster-mind Suzanne
Somers makes a special appearance
at the Lied Center for Performing
Arts tonight for a benefit perfor
mance dedicated to local victims of
child abuse.
The proceeds for BryanLGH
Medical Center’s eighth annual Star
Night will go to the
Lincoln/Lancaster County Child
Advocacy Center, a shelter for
abused children.
It’s only fitting that this year’s
Star Night features Somers, who
grew up the child of a violent alco
holic. Her singing and dancing tal
ents coupled with her comedic acu
men should make for a night filled
with entertainment possibilities.
Her childhood experiences in a
dysfunctional and abusive home
were highlighted in her 1988 autobi
ography, “Keeping Secrets,” which
lasted on the New York limes’ best
sellers list for 21 weeks.
Somers, famous for her role as
the ditzy blonde, Chrissy, in die ’70s
sitcom “Three’s Company,” has
recently come back to national
attention with her moderately suc
cessful family- oriented sitcom
“Step by Step.”
Somers has used her regained
publicity to bring national attention
to the cause of children’s welfare.
She has served two terms as
National Honorary Chairperson of
the National Association for
Children of Alcoholics and founded
the Suzanne Somers Institute for the
Effects of Addictions On Families.
Last year’s hind-raiser featured
the Oak Ridge Boys, and in 1996
country prodigy LeAnn Rimes
offered her young voice to help the
underprivileged.
The show begins at 8 p.m., and
tickets are available at the Lied
Center box office. The cost is $25
for adults and $21 for students.
Courtesy Photo
AS THE VICTIM of a violent home, actress Suzanne Somers has dedicat
ed time and money for abused children. She appears tonight at the Lied
Center for a benefit show for Lincoln* new Child Advocacy Center.
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