Key to getting on radio: Waste not, gloss not
BVNEALOBERMEYER_ '
This is a litde personal favor to all of you out there in bands.
If you want to “make it" as it goes, the first part of “making it" is get
ting your music heard. An easy way to get your music heard is to get it on
the radio.
You can't start out on mainstream corporate radio. If you can, it's
because you have insider friends in the business, and if you have insider
friends in the business, you'll have that cheap kind of Limp Bizkit success
that makes work irrelevant, so you can stop reading.
But if you have to rely on working for your success, college radio is
your friend. College radio stations generally don't have the same restric
tions or stupid politics as mainstream corporate stations and often have
a bit of a Was towards unsigned, unheard of bands, especially if you hap
pen to be in their geographic area.
However; college radio stations tend to have a small music staff and
receive dozens of new CDs a week, and getting your album to die top of
the stack is a crucial part to even getting on the radio.
The logical thought here would be “I need something flashy to make
my band’s album stand outTYou know, that is logical It makes sense.
But it is wrong.
It is sad how many bands invest in glossy folders embossed with their
band logo, packing those folders with glossy band photos, multi-page _
biographies and booklets full of flattering comments from their friends
and radio personalities.
These may look nice, and holding a glossy folder in your hands may
make you feel like you have finally “made it," but in terms of practicality
and how it’s going to push your band in college radio, you've wasted your
money.
Remember why you invested in the press kit-to separate your album
from the dozens of others. If the station’s reviewers have all these albums
to review, do you think they’re going to have time to read how your friend
thinks you're the best band since Spizzenergi?
They don't read that stuff. They don't have time, and drey don't care
because this press kit in spite of what you think, screams: “Our band is
crap. Our music will not impress you but maybe glossiness wilL*
Please see RADIO on 6
UNL laser snow
music to the eyes
BY CASEY JOHNSON
Smoke machines roared as
the music blared for a Pink
Floyd assault that played havoc
with the central nervous system
for the better part of an hour.
This could only mean one
thing; The Mueller Planetarium
was having another laser-light
show, and those inside were
being visually and audibly satu
rated.
Since 1981, people have
been going to this type of spec
tacle deep within die confines of
Morrill Hall to witness laser light
shows based on a variety of
music from Devo to Garth
Brooks.
This Friday and Saturday
night, die Mueller Planetarium,
located at 14th and U streets,
offers a laser-light show featur
ing the music of Dave Matthews
Band at 9:30 and 11.-00 p.m.
The show, which has only
been given one time before, is
something Planetarium
Director Jack Dunn said was
typical of the type of variety
offered at the planetarium light
shows.
Dunn, who has been at the
planetarium since 1971, said
working with so many different
kinds of music, along with the
innovation in technology, is
what makes doing the laser
light shows so interesting.
“Dave Matthews is a band
with such different sound that it
makes for an interesting visual
interpretation,” he said.
The show, which was creat
ed by Dunn's son, is part of a
long-time effort to offer shows
with big name bands in order to
finance the Planetarium, which
is supported primarily by ticket
sales.
The shows, which are com
posed of both digital and analog
elements, combine both the
technology of computers and
other more manual compo
, nents.
"Most people assume that
everything is done with com
puter, and that is not true at all,” '
Dunn said.
In fact, the shows can be
time consuming and frustrating
to create depending on the skill
of the composer and the
amount of workable material
the music offers.
"It’s like writing in many
ways,” Dunn said. "You get
blocked, and sometimes I come
across a section of music that I
don’t know what to do with.”
At the same time, Dunn said,
light shows can be extremely
easy to create if the music has a
variety of melodies and lyrics to
work with.
Dunn also said it is not a
matter of whether the composer
likes the music but rather what
he or she can do with the music
in creating a show.
"Sometimes, strangely
enough* you can do music that
you hate and come up with
something really special,” he
said.
The laser-light shows are
usually scheduled by the semes
ter and can be accessed by call
ing die planetarium or going to
the planetarium’s Web site at
www.spacelaser. com.
Linconite Tim Nathan, a
restaurant worker at Famous
Dave’s, said he liked the Pink
Floyd laser-light show and that
he had forgotten what a good
time he had at laser-light shows
when he was younger.
"It’s not expensive, it’s loud
music and it’s a good place to go
and see something that is a little
bit different,” Nathan said.
Jennifer lund/DN
The planetarium
in Morrill Hall
presents laser
shows each
weekend to the
musk of artists
such as Pink
Royd and Dave
Matthews Band.
D.L Hughley s comic relief can't save 'Brothers'
Four men's views, fears
of relationships are
too stereotypical
BY SEAN MCCARTHY
Movies are often used to emphasize a lesson
for viewers. Driver's education instructors use the
movie “Death on die Freeway” to convey a point
Vietnam War classes will use films such as
“Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” to drive home
the horrors ofVietnam.
When it comes to relationships, “The Brothers”
can best be viewed as a textbook film. The story
focuses on four tight-knit friends and their fears of
commitment. Each character wrestles with the
three prongs of relationships-loyalty, sex and inti
macy.
| 'Jackson Smith
f k i J (Morris Chestnut)
vF ? is a doctor who is
battling recurrent
dreams of a woman in a bridal gown, brandishing
a pistol (commitment phobic?). Derrick West (D.L
Hughley) is frustrated with his wife, Sheila’s
(Tamala Jones) reluctance to satisfy “all” of his sex
ual needs - namely oral sex. Brian Palmer (Bill
Bellamy) is the stereotypical eternal bachelor who
initially vows never to date black women again.
Terry White (Shemar Moore) is on the verge of
marriage but gets a nasty case of cold feet
If die background sounds like a sitcom format
that’s because it is. All of these issues that have
dogged these guys for most of their lives get neatly
resolved at die end of the movie.
There is no doubt that “The Brothers” is one of
the best ensemble casts of the spring movie sea
son. However, most of the characters are so locked
into their stereotypes that they have litde room to
inject any depth into their roles.
Gary Hardwick, who wrote and directed the
movie, is an accomplished writer but has little
experience in the realm of directing. That may be
the reason why “The Brothers” would read like an
excellent screenplay. But on screen, it is surpris
ingly tame.
Courtesy Art
4
The Brothers' depicts the fives of four black professionals
who battfe with their respective females for understanding
and love in then relationships.
- Overly sensitive ears will no doubt be uneasy
with the rampant misogynistic rantings of the
main characters, but the female characters resort
to the same sort of bashing. Hardwick seems to put
these scenes in merely to keep a balanced per
spective on relationships.
The biggest laughs of the movie come from
D.L. Hughley. His frustration with his wife yields
some of the film's best lines. To top that, Hughley
does a great job at conveying his frustrations dong
with his insecurities and his genuine affection for
his wife.
The other subplots are not as effective. At
times, “The Brothers” seems like a long, African
American-centered version of “Sex in the City.”
People are already comparing this movie to “The
Best Man,” but it is not nearly as funny. You know
you are in trouble when even the outtakes of a
movie don’t even register laughs.
“The Brothers” is a good, safe date movie.
There is enough of a balanced perspective to get
talking about some of the issues raised in the
movie. However, you’ll be hard pressed to remem
ber the names of any of the characters in the
movie, let done care about what happens to each
of them at the end.
“The Brothers” starring Morris Chestnut, D.L.
Hughley and Bill Bellamy. Written and directed by
Gary Hardwick. Rated R for adult situations and
language. Playing at the Plaza 4.
*
Soundtrack makes
more sense on CD
than it did on screen
BY SEAN MCCARTHY
The Soundtrack to “Die Brothers" is a great sam
pler CD for some of the best artists in modem R&B. In
many aspects, the soundtrack is better than the movie.
One of the biggest problems of the movie, “The
Brothers," was the lack of a cohesive soundtrack
throughoutthe movie. T&kenasaseparate CD, the disc
has a distinct flow
to it However, in
* f A A A A the movie, many
'-■ H rv songs appeared
out of nowhere at
unnecessary times.
Credit should go to the producers of “The
Brothers.” Unlike other soundtracks, where big names
are frantically assembled to look good on die packag
ing, die focus is on quality.
Eddie Levert St and Gerald Levert do an outstand
ing father-andrson duet on the track, “TWo of A Kind.”
And Snoop Dogg, probably the biggest draw on the
album, delivers one of his funkiest cuts in a long time
with“Hi2U.”
But for the most part “The Brothers” features less
er-known talents. Dave Hollister, Jaheim and AB pro
vide strong tracks. Maybe this soundtrack will gain the
artists a wider audience.
Like the movie, the soundtrack does its best to
appeal to both sexes. The soulful croonings of
Jermaine Dupri and Cassie are woven in with the con
fident boastings of DL and R.CXC.
Three tracks on die soundtrack do not appear in
the film, which may be a good thing because they are
among die weaker tracks on die album. The feet that
the soundtrack needed four executive producers
shows there doesn't seem to be major cohesion in it
Regardless of the strength of the soundtrack, this
lack of cohesion makes it seem like background
music. "The Brothers” may be a great CD to get that
special someone in the mood, but itls not a soundtrack
that you are going to want to listen to from beginning
to end.
' i *
Flowers stops,
smells Oleander's
sweet success
BY ALEXIS BNERSON
After working their way up from Sacramento,
Calif., to widespread recognition, Oleander is
now on a national tour that is bringing them to
Lincoln’s Pershing Auditorium.
Thomas Flowers (vocals, guitar), Ric
Ivanisevich (guitar), Doug Eldridge (bass) and
Scott Devours (drums) make up the band
Oleander, named after a beautiful, poisonous
flower.
Oleander is about a month into the first leg of
the tour that has paired them with 3 Doors Down
and Fuel.
Flowers said after touring with so many dif
ferent bands - Collective Soul, Candlebox and
Creed just to name a few - there is something to
be learned from each one. And an important les
son was to be learned from this journey, Flowers
said.
“We’ve learned to stay grounded and to be
down to earth with everybody and not take it too
seriously," Flowers said. “I think the key to this
tour is that it’s all about having fun and making it
fun for others."
Although they do have fun, one of the biggest
misconceptions, Flowers said, is that being in a
band is glamorous. Time on the road is difficult,
he said.
Oleander toured previously to promote their
1999 album “February Son," which went gold.
After gaining experience from prior tours,
Flowers said he feels Oleander has finally mini
mized the downfalls of being on the road.
“We’re at a point now that even the negative
aspects of touring don’t get to be such a grind to
us," Flowers said.
Although “February Son" is Oleander’s most
successful album to date, Flowers said he felt the
group had grown musically with this album.
“Unwind," Flowers said, was a true collabora
tion from all members. They took all of their
Mease see FLOWERS on 6
