ENTERTAINMENT
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Tuesday, September 7,1999 , _■ ’ Page 15
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Virginia band takes
its blend of ska, rap,
techno and rock to
Knickerbockers
By Shelley Mika
Staff writer
Ska, hip hop, metal, mixing.
These are the sounds of Richmond, Va.’s,
The Ernies.
Their goal? To make music that ties together
the influences of five members and turn out a
sound that is original and danceable.
To find out if they succeed, catch their show
at Knickerbockers tonight.
In 1994, The Ernies started out with three
members: Will Hummel as the frontman on gui
tar and vocals, Matt Goves on drums and Hayes
Smith on saxophone.
It wasn’t until 1996 that they added a bass
player. Mike Hughes, and later, in 1997, Chris
Bondi on turntables and theremin.
The Ernies began as a ska band, but now that
their sound has evolved, they don’t warm up to
the idea of being labeled.
But their influences tell the tale. Goves and
Srqjth have formal training in classical and jazz.
The group is also influenced by heavy rock,
alternative and hip hop. You can see their inter-'
ests not only in their style, but also in their lyrics.
At one point, the band refers to Q-Tip of A
Tribe Called Quest, revealing its rap roots.
But Will Hummel’s lyrics don’t stop there.
The band’s publicist, Mike Cubillos, said
Hummel is “really into science, Buddhism and
English; he’s very well read.”
One song, titled “The Hitman Tommy
Stearns,” refers to poet T.S. Eliot.
“I had a dream that T.S. Eliot came down and
Cwtrtesy Photo
FORMER SKA BAND The Ernies makes a stop at Knickerbockers tonight to support its new album, “Meson Ray.” -
was trying to tell me how to write poetry, and he
was sort of this gangster type - the hit man
Tommy Stearns,” Hummel said in a press
release.
But the band members aren’t all brains and
music school. They value humor as well. A cer
tain lighthearted element appears even in their
name. In fact, it isn’t inspired by any modernist
poet or science class factoid. It’s actually a refer
ence to the seldom heard name of a character on
the popular sitcom “Cheers.”
The Ernies’ most recent album, “Meson
Ray” (note the science reference), is their third
album and first national release. “Meson Ray” is
on the MOJO label, which has also released the
soundtrack to “BASEketball,” on which The
Ernies have a track.
It sounds as if The Ernies could have the
potential to please a wide variety of audiences.
Anyone interested in lyrical depth, eclectic
musical styles or just a good dance tune should
be entertained.
Concert Preview
The Facts
Who: The Ernies
Where: Knickerbockers, 901 0 Street
When: Tonight
The Skinny: Ernies play a danceable mix
of metal, hip hop and rock.
Lax crowd mars
Semisonic show
■ Too-large venue fails
to ignite, inspire audience
at Minneapolis rock band’s
State Fair performance.
By Diane Broderick
Staff writer
Good things come in small pack
ages, and in no way, shape or form is
the Bob Devaney Sports Center a small
package.
That’s not to say that sometimes
bigger isn’t better, but there’s a fine
line between the two.
When power-pop trio Semisonic
took the stage Saturday at the
Nebraska State Fair, one thing was per
fectly clear: The band’s sound and pop
ularity aren’t the quality that make
quintessential arena rockers.
Semisonic is much more suited to
smaller venues where a sense of famil
iarity and friendliness is exuded
through its music, with a tinge of
Minnesota-style funk (including the
delicious tendency the band has of
playing Prince covers) thrown in for
good measure.
Luckily, Semisonic - frontman
Dan Wilson, bassist John Munson and
drummer/keyboardist Jake Slichter -
packed enough style and surprise to
save the concert from complete failure.
“Falling,” which had its beginnings
at the Minnesota State Fair, according
to the band, kicked off the set. With
imagery of midway lights, a ride in a
Ferris wheel and the light of constella
tions, the song was a low-key, but fit
ting, beginning.
Unfortunately, crowd members
seemed to take that a little too much to
heart, and they kept their seats for
“Falling” and much of the radio hits
“Singing in my Sleep” and “Secret
Smile.”
The trend continued through most
of the concert, until Wilson, wearing
what could be called a fireman ensem
ble, threw out a command of sorts for
more lively participation. A more ani
mated crowd was quick to follow for
“fat” and “Delicious,” songs from the
band’s first full-length album, “Across
the Great Divide.”
But what really salvaged the con
Please see SEMISONIC on 16
&
‘Providence’ smart teen film
Patrick Kelly
Staff Writer
Sophomoric humor, an impos
sible romance and a hopeless social
reject mean only one thing: the
return of the Farrelly brothers.
The makers of “Dumb and
Dumber,” “Kingpin” and “There’s
Something About Mary” certainly
have not mellowed with age.
However, the two take a unique
approach to the coming-of
age/period piece comedy genre
with “Outside Providence.”
The film follows the exploits of
Timothy Dunphy (Shawn Hatosy),
a 17-year-old whose carefree
lifestyle catches up with him.
In a marijuana-induced haze,
Dunphy crashes into a parked
police car. Instead of reform
school, Dunphy is sent to a presti
gious Rhode Island prep school
where his antics make him the sav
ior of the student body and the
scouige of the faculty.
Unfortunately, this adds an ele
ment of predictability to the film.
As in all fish-out-of-water
movies, Dunphy falls in love with
the prettiest girl in school and over
comes the prejudice of others.
What separates this film from
others like it is* that it efficiently
combines dramatic and comedic
elements, crossing the bridge
between films such as “Dazed and
Confused,” “Dead Poets Society”
and “School Ties.”
Like the latter two films,
“Outside Providence” had some
stunning cinematography that artis
tically captured the beauty of
autumn in New England.
- “Providence” also doesn’t rely
too heavily on its time period. The
danger in making a film set in the
past is that the focus shifts from the
plight of the characters to pop cul
ture. While the film scantily refers
to Watergate, disco and 8-tracks, it
focuses more on relationships.
Of course, numerous masturba
tion jokes and hemp-related inci
dents abound, but the film has some
truly heartfelt moments as well.
Other Farrelly trademarks in
“Outside Providence” include a
classic rock soundtrack and a ques
tionable depiction of the handi
capped.
Hatosy’s performance as
Dunphy was a refreshing change
from the generic pretty-boy image
that usually dominates. Instead,
Hatosy brought a genuine sense of
m
Film Review ■ Mil
TIm Facts ‘Wf*
Title: “Outside Providence”
Stars: Alec Baldwin, Shawn Hatosy,
Amy Smart
Director: Michael Corrente
Rating: R (Language, sex and adult situations)
Grade: B+
Five Words: Farrelly brothers’ twisted 70’s
flashback.
awkwardness to this 17-year-old,
which is rarely seen.
Unlike previous work from the
■“Farrelly brothers, this film does not
have a strong supporting cast.
However, a sweet sense of romance
exists between Amy Smart and
Dunphy.
The best supporting actor in the
film was Alec Baldwin, who affec
tionately refers to his son as
“Dildo.” Baldwin shed his often
overly slick persona to play the blue
collar Pat Dunphy.
We can hope “Outside
Providence” is an indication of the
direction the Farrelly Brothers will
take their films. This film brings an
irreverent yet insightful look at
adolesgence, which needs to be
encouraged.
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