Nils Weber adds spark to opera program
■ mewieiueuiiiHjmiupmu
use his vocal training as a pro
fessional performer or teacher.
BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHEBSON
Editor’s note: In this weekly
series, we examine the exception
al work and accomplishments of
individual students in art,
dance, music, acting and design.
Oh, what it must be like to
reap the benefit of the singing
gene.
Bryce Weber has it.
Weber has a voice that
“My whole family has
always sang. My
grandparents were
music teachers, so
I've grown up with
it.n "
Bryce Webber
senior music education major
wouia maKe tne
struggling show
er singers of the
world jealous.
The senior
music education
major has
proven to be a
tremendous
asset in the
growth of the
opera program
at the University
of Nebraska
Lincoln.
Nobody knows this more
than his professor and teacher
William bnomos.
“I think he’s tremendously
gifted in his singing, and has so
much potential in whatever he
does,” Shomos said.
Weber said the good singing
voice was in his roots.
“My whole family has always
sang,” Weber said. “My grand
parents were music teachers, so
I’ve grown up with it.” ;
The UNL School of Music
should send a thank-you note to
his family because Weber has
been involved in many of the
program’s opera productions,
notably “Gugliemo Cosi Fan
Ilitte” and “Ivar.”
“It’s a fine opera program
here,” Weber said. “It has grown
1,000-fold in numbers since I
arrived here. The growth of this
program is a big reason why I
came to Nebraska.”
Weber found his way to UNL
from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after
running into Shomos during a
play production.
“I was directing a play of‘The
Music Man,’ and I ran across
Bryce and we recruited him
here,” Shomos said.
“He’s had a really fine voice,
and he’s grown technically over
the years.”
Since his arrival, Weber has
established quite a list of activi
ties to put on his resume.
He has spent time with the
Varsity Men’s Chorus, the
University Choir and helps with
the Westminster Presbyterian
Church Choir in Lincoln.
The baritone singer also has
won the Nebraska Association of
Teachers state contest and then
won the regional contest.
It’s decision time now for the
senior.
Perhaps, Weber will pursue a
career in the opera through
graduate school.
Possible graduate schools of
interests to Weber are Indiana
University, the Cincinnati
College Conservatory of Music
and the Julliard School.
Weber said he also would be
content with becoming a music
teacher and passing his years of
vocal training down to the next
generation.
"It all depends on what Bryce
is driven to do,” Shomos said.
"There is always room for
good baritones out there, but I
also think Bryce would be a real
ly exceptional music teacher."
Weber does maintain a few
concerns about pursuing a
career in opera.
“It’s a harder life,” he said. “It
would probably require living in
a foreign country.”
Shomos doesn’t doubt
Weber could flourish though.
“There are many possible
avenues in front of him,”
Shomos said. “If he’s driven to
pursue a career in opera, he can
succeed.”
If Weber decides to teach, he
already knows what age group
Heather Glenboski/DN
he wants to work with.
“I want to work with high
schoolers,” he said. “I know what
I liked in a teacher and what
teachers I didn't like, so that
would help me know what I
want to do as a teacher.”
And even though he is still a
student and not a teacher, he’s
been one of the sparks in the
growing UNL opera program.
He did the singing family
proud.
ABOVE; Senior
musk education
major Bryce
Weber 's a big
part of the grow
ing UNL opera
program. Weber
is considering
either becoming
a professional
opera singer ora
high school musk
teacher and
"passing his years
of training as a
singer down to
the next genera
tion."
LEFT: Bryce
Weber practices
songs for gradu
ate school audi
tions and future
competitions
with professor
William Shomos.
Weber sings
songs in many
different lan
guages, including
French, Italian,
German, Italian
and Russian.
Buzzard Billy's offers tasty Cajun fare
■ Buzzard Billy's offers full plate
of Cajun flavor and atmosphere
to adventurous diners.
BY LAURA DEWITT
Rarely do I want to eat at the
same restaurant twice in one day,
or twice in a week for that matter.
But a mere four hours after I
had dined at The Original
Buzzard Billy's Armadillo Bar-N
Grillo, I was tempted to return for
another round of its Cajun cook
ing.
Buzzard Billy’s simply has an
awesome menu. From appetizers
like Gator Fingers and Crawfish
Crab Cakes to poboys, jambalaya
and gumbo, they have the Cajun
food thing down.
The first of four Buzzard
Billy’s was opened in Waco,
Texas in 1993 by Dan Massoth,
his brother and two friends who
wanted to create a fun and fes
tive atmosphere in which to
serve their Louisiana-inspired
food.
Located in the Haymarket at
247 N. 8th St, the newest Buzzard
Billy’s brings the big flavor of
Cajun cooking with a 1960s or
'70s tavern atmosphere. Retro
movie posters, 1970s Louisiana
plates, old tavern signs and other
relics adorn the walls. Most deco
rations are originals, unlike some
other restaurant decorations in
town, Massoth said.
My sister and I arrived here
for a late lunch Saturday. The spa
cious dining area was nearly
empty at that time, except for a
number of people watching the
Nebraska-Notre Dame game at
the bar. This was not the norm for
Buzzard Billy’s, which is often
packed on weekends, our server
said.
We decided to try the Gator
Fingers ($5.95) off the appetizer
menu. This is a large plate of
sliced, breaded and fried alligator
tail served with a spicy Creole
honey mustard sauce.
Alligator meat may sound
scary or even inedible to some,
but it has a flavor similar to
shrimp, perhaps even milder.
They were gone in a matter of
minutes.
My sister ordered a
Bushwhacker ($4.50) off the
drink menu, which is an icy,
smooth concoction of Kahlua,
rum and coconut flavoring mixed
with ice cream and garnished
with an orange slice.
The menu has all the bases
covered with over 60 menu items
including soups, gumbos, black
ened and fried dinners, combina
tion platters, sandwiches, steaks,
salads, pastas, burgers, sides and
desserts. For an indecisive diner
like myself, it can be hard to
choose just one thing with such a
selection. But I finally opted for
the Bayou Platter ($9.95).
This combo meal consists of a
blackened chicken breast, a half
order of red beans and rice (a
serving so generous that I cannot
even fathom a person eating a
regular order), two hushpuppies
and a cup of chicken and sausage
gumbo.
The gumbo had a spicy toma
to base and was filled with chick
en and Andouille sausage over
rice. I had never tried gumbo and
I loved it. The beans and rice were
also superb.
My sister ordered the Chicken
Czarina, one of the House
Specialty Dinners and was very
satisfied. For $11.95 you get a
plateful of rice and vegetables
with a fried chicken breast
smothered in a Parmesan cream
sauce filled with shrimp, mush
rooms and green onions.
Along with the meal came a
basket of sliced French bread and
butter.
Although we were stuffed, we
made room to try a traditional
Louisiana dessert, Bananas
Foster ($4.50). Bananas are
sauteed in a sauce of butter,
brown sugar and cinnamon to
which rum is added and ignited
briefly. The bananas are then
served smothered in the sauce
and topped with vanilla ice
cream. The texture of the soft
bananas was pleasant with the
cold, frozen ice cream and warm,
sugary sauce.
Our waters came in huge 32
ounce glasses, which you’ll need
to quench the thirst brought on
by the spicy Cajun seasonings.
The food ranges in spiciness
from mild to medium denoted on
the menu with jalapeno symbols.
Vegetarian dishes are also
marked.
Prices range from $1.50 for
side dishes and between $2.95
and $5.95 for many salads, appe
tizers, desserts and other items to
$15.95 for a 12-ounce New York
Strip.
Our server said the house
specialties and combination
platters like the Crawfish Platter
and the Cajun Combo are espe
cially popular, as are the poboys.
Poboys are the New Orleans
version of a hoagie, made with
French bread split and filled with
one of six different selections and
served with a side. The Andouille
Swiss and the Shrimp Poboy
Restaurant Review
- i
The Origina
Buzzard Bil
of 4 stars
($5.95) looked especially appetiz
ing.
Other items I will be sure to
try are the Tequila Jerk Shrimp
and the Mean Green Buzzard
Wings, which are chicken wings
fried and coated with a jalapeno
lime sauce.
Buzzard Billy’s does take out
orders but doesn’t accept reserva
tions. Hours of operation are 11
a.m.-lO p.m. Sunday through
Thursday and 11 a.m.-l 1 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays.
I loved my experience at
Buzzard Billy’s. I was satisfied
with my food and the service. Our
waitress was friendly, helpful and
on hand at all times. The atmos
phere is friendly and casual, and
the decor makes you feel like
you’re back in the 70s.
You are fed well for your
money, and you'll likely have
something left on your plate to
bring home.
Buzzard Billy’s has wonder
ful, stick-to-your-ribs, spicy - but
not too spicy - Cajun food. I’ll be
back in there soon to try those
buzzard wings.
'The Watcher' fails to see
its way out of formulaic
pTUcUnuc uncLN
“The Watcher,” misses the
poignant adrenaline scare that
characterizes a solid psychologi
cal-thriller.
It does provide the classic and
overused cop-movie cast com
prised of a strung-out but valiant
cop, a daring and seductive killer
and a loving damsel in distress.
Joel Campbell (James Spader)
is a bumed-out ex-FBI agent who
returns to duty once the serial
killer, whom he once pursued,
returns.
Campbell suffers from
migraines and has weird flash
backs to strange scenes in his tor
mented life.
To deal with his mental mis
eries, Campbell pops more pre
scription pills than a medal-win
ning barbiturate junky.
The killer that Campbell hunts
is David-Alien Griffin (Keanu
Reeves). Griffin murders young
women in what he believes to be a
big game and feels an abnormal
connection to Campbell.
Griffin sends pictures of his
victims to Campbell before he kills
them to entice the ex-cop to
return to duty.
He plans his murders so that
they remind Campbell of his past
mistakes.
Eventually, Griffin comes to
view their relationship as neces
sary, if not essential, to who they
are.
The twisted relationship
between Campbell and Griffin
never completely solidifies.
Instead, viewers have a vague
sense of what the film makers
intended.
But they are not scared.
Reeves is probably the biggest
fear deterrent.
His California-boy aura still
haunts him and makes it difficult
for viewers to squirm in fear when
he lurks around the comer.
When he whispers a death
sentence into his victim's ear, he
sounds more like a stoner search
ing for another bowl than a violent
murderer.
Also, the damsel/victim to the
cop relationship never matures.
I assume that the film makers
wanted viewers to sense a bond
between Campbell the cop and
Polly, the damsel (MarisaTomei).
Their connection is supposed
to enhance the viewer's fear near
the film’s conclusion.
However, when viewers reach
the film’s predictable end, they are
not afraid for the damsel’s life but
regard her as another possible vic
tim just like all the rest.
Some spicy pyrotechnics and
car chase scenes save the film
from disaster.