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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2000)
Arts&Entertainment Omaha KISS Army shows devotion through festival By Jason Hardy Staff writer When it comes to fans, few contingencies I are as militant in their dedication as the leg I endary KISS Army. With a worldwide membership, the KISS I Army is one of the most organized fan clubs ever. Regional chapters, essentially rock and roll militias, are forever protecting the mass es from the tyranny of encroaching wuss rock. This Sunday, they’ll be out in full force. Alive IV Productions, Z-92 and KISS Army Omaha are present > ing the first annual KISS expo sition this Sunday at the ' Holiday Inn Central, 72nd and Grover streets % 4 in Omaha. In a phone interview from his home in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Kiss Army Omaha president and Z-92 DJ Bear explained why he rallied the troops. “I myself have been a KISS fan since 1976, and even though I’m not huge into spending all my money on every little thing that comes out, I just wanted to do an expo for the fans of Omaha and the Midwest,” he said. “We just felt it was the right thing to do, espe cially with the farewell tour going on. This may be the only opportunity for KISS fans to get farewell tour merchandise.” Bear said the difference between this expo and other past KISS conventions is that this one won’t feature any of the actual costumes, guitars, set pieces and other things KISS used. This expo does feature national KISS ven dors selling new and classic merchandise and a performance by Union, the group composed of former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick and former Motley Crue singer John Corabi. “We’ve got people coming from Illinois, Kansas City, South Dakota. Denver and all * KISS Omaha Expo 2000 WHERE: Holiday Inn Central, 72nd & Grover, Omaha WHEN: Sunday, April 2, noon to 8 p.m. COST: $15 advance, $20 day of show THE SKINNY: KISS Army Omaha mobilizes forces for exposition. over the Midwest,” he said. “Within about two days after we announced the expo, we had about a hundred e-mails, so we expect it to do extremely well. “Omaha and the Midwest has always been very, very good to KISS through all the years.” Mary Lichtenwalter, KISS Army Omaha’s vice president, said she wasn’t shocked by the overwhelming interest in the expo, but she was excited. “There is going to be some neat stuff that you can’t go into any old store and buy. It’s something for people who are truly collectors and truly into KISS,” she said. “We’re anxious to see what the final numbers are going to be, but people seem really excited. We’re hoping to have enough money to do other events.” Bear said it felt good to execute such a major operation and was sure the KISS Army will prevail. “It feels very thrilling, very exhilarating,” he said. “It’s something for KISS that I’ve never had a chance to do. Growing up with their idealisms and their philosophies on no drugs and no drinking kind of thing, well at least on Gene (Simmons) and Paul’s (Stanley’s) part, they’ve helped me grow up. To give back like this is awesome. There’s no words to df»sprilv» it ” Aqua sinks on generic album By Josh Krauter Staff writer This is supposed to be a review of the music on the dance-pop band Aqua’s new album, “Aquarius.” But for Aqua, and similar bands in the world of mainstream pop, it’s not really about music. It never was. You see, Aqua is a product, just like frozen peas, friendship bracelets and vice presidents. And that really doesn’t bother me. Because that’s what pop music is - product. That’s what it always has been and always will be. To bitch and moan about it is to damn the sun for shining. In fact, some of the best pop music comes from that internal ten sion born when art and commerce become uneasy bedfellows. But the members of the Swedish quartet Aqua aren’t interested in fighting. They know which corner they’re in, and it ain’t art. They aren’t hiding it, either. A cursory glance at “Aquarius” reveals that much. The back cover lists two Web sites and a fan club in extra-large print. The CD doubles as an enhanced CD-ROM of Aqua’s videos. The cover is an airbrushed shot of the band com plete with sexy midriffs, sjjiked hair dos and futuristic costumes. That’s right, Aqua is a product, just like McDonalds hamburgers are products, which is fine. But there’s still this business about reviewing the album. And when Aqua TITLE: Aquarius LABEL: MCA Records GRADE: F as music, A as product FIVE WORDS: Bad music by good capitalists. MTV’s turned off and the CD cover’s been looked at, all that’s left is what’s on the stereo, and a McDonalds ham burger doesn’t make for a good album. So, where to begin with all that’s wrong with this album? Well, let’s start with the voices of the two lead vocalists, Rene Dif and Lene Grawford Nystrom. They represent comic extremes of both ends of the vocal spectrum, from Manly Man to Girly Girl. Nystrom sings like a 9-year-old on a helium binge, while Dif attempts the lightweight material like Glenn Danzig tackling the soundtrack to “The Care Bears Movie,” grunting and groaning as though he’s carrying a piano up a flight of stairs. Admittedly, the first two songs are catchy, but still far from good. In the hands of more capable dance-pop artists, such as New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Madonna, or even the Spice Girls, they would be passable, but are little more than nothing in the hands of Aqua. After that, it’s just dreck from start to finish. “Freaky Friday” is the musi cal equivalent of being stabbed repeatedly in the eardrum with a knit ting needle. “We Belong to the Sea” is a sappy, Whitney Houston-esque drop of pure syrup. “Halloween” contains some attempts at “acting,” in which Nystrom and Dif play roles of a stalked teen and a serial killer, respec tively. It makes one glad the days of the radio play are over. And “Good Guys” is so generic I didn’t even know it was playing, which may be a good thing. This album is only recommended to the United Nations (who will listen to “Cuba Libre” and impose sanctions on Sweden if any of its musicians ever attempt Latin music again), sufferers of anemia looking for a soundtrack to match their condition and anyone who doesn’t like music. Anyone else would have to jump in a bathtub full of Motorhead albums to wash off the taint. Marah’s new disc offers rootsy rock By Ken Morton Staff writer Being rootsy seems to be all the rage lately. Adult alternative radio has embraced watered-down bands, such as Edwin McCain and Tonic, while good Americana bands, such as the Jayhawks and the Bottle Rockets, are moving away from a sound they helped create. Even the Goo Goo Dolls have gone acoustic and added pedal steel and mandolin to their sound. And then along comes Marah. Marah’s first album on Steve Earle’s E-Squared Records, “Kids in Philly,” takes rock and roots music to places it has never been before and may be the best rock album since Wilco’s “Being There,” released four years ago. Unlike many so-called “alt.country” bands, Marah incor porates banjo, pedal steel and man dolin into music that serves as the perfect vehicle for the urban tales they carry. Marah’s stories of the streets of Philadelphia, written by David and Serge Bielanko, exist in a loose, frantic mix of instruments, hand claps and samples. They keep it short, too - “Kids” clocks in at just Marah ARTIST: Marah TITLE: Kids in Philly LABEL: Artemis/ E-Squared Records GRADE: A FIVE WORDS: Marah gives rock new life. over 37 minutes. What results is a fierce, compact effort that packs as much into every track as it could possibly hold. The first three songs of the album move forward relentlessly, always on the edge of complete breakdown but never falling off. Singer/guitarist Davind Bielanko rides a bus in “Faraway You” and spies a couple in the park: “They were sittin’ on a bench/ Entangled in a kiss/ Which would n’t mean a god damned thing/it wouldn’t be no big to do/But even from behind/I could see that she was you.” The third track, “Christian St.,” invites you on a walk through a Philly neighborhood. The images are so vivid that only a resident of this area could capture such a Please see MARAH on 11