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Steel
Drums, cool music, Caribbean style at ASU
Sarah Robinson
- Contributing Writer
The words "steel
drum" generally conjure up images of calypso music and tropical
islands. The Steely Pan Steel Drum Band is trying to break that
stereotype by showing that steel drums can be used to play more
than just traditional island tunes.
Under the direction
of Dr. Scott Meister, the band consists of 17 students who have
auditioned to be part of what band member Jeff Jones calls a "premier
performing organization." In the fall of 1984, Meister and some
of his students, aided by Pete Seger's book on the subject and Jon
Nedd, an Appalachian State University soccer star recently inducted
into the hall of fame, began to experiment with the making of steel
drums.
After a visit
by Jim Strose, a maker and tuner from Trinidad, in 1985, the band
learned new techniques in tuning drums and they were able to give
their first concert on the steps of the Broyhill Music Building
that March. They first performed publicly after Meister visited
Ellie Mannette, the "father of the steel drum," and was finally
able to fine tune the making and tuning techniques of the band's
drums.
The Steely Pan
Steel Drum Band has gained a great deal of recognition and is frequently
asked to perform at campuses throughout the state, country and even
the world. They have become so popular that Appalachian is in the
process of trademarking their name.
This February,
Jeff Jones, Chris Barton and Bart Tulbert, three of the "off-campus
ambassadors," as Dr. Meister refers to the band, will study with
Dr. Meister in Trinidad.
Plans are also
being made for the whole band to take a seven-day, southern Caribbean
cruise to Trinidad over spring break. The band has the distinct
honor of being the first to play in the George M. Holmes Convocation
Center.
Their first
show-- ranging from country to classical and yes, even calypso music--
will be Friday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium. Tickets
are $5.
Will
Hoge to open for Jump, Little Children at Legends
Ian Hutchinson
Nothing sums
up the straight-ahead rock 'n roll sound of the Will Hoge Band better
than what Will Hoge said about touring,
"You can learn
a lot about a town at the laundromat."
Whether it be
a Razzle-Dazzle Laundromat in New Jersey or one in the residence
halls of Appalachian State University, all laundromats have a distinct
personality that is reflective of their location. Just like the
laundromats vistited by the Will Hoge Band, each of their songs
has a soul of it own.
It is those
small town quirks that gave the songs of Bruce Springsteen, Tom
Petty and John Mellencamp a heart and what endeared them to the
everyday American.
The Will Hoge
Band continues that great tradition with their music. Will Hoge
has seen his fair share of dryer sheets and detergent in the last
decade. Since his college years, he has been performing live with
bands such as Spoonful in addition to playing solo.
The Will Hoge
Band was founded in early 1999 and looks to have a promising future.
The line-up consists of Hoge, guitarist Dan Baird (Georgia Satillites),
bassist Tres Sasser and drummer Kirk Yoquelet.
The band has
played such venues as the Woodstock '99, almost every club in-between
and will playing at the upcoming Voodoo Festival in New Orleans
with acts like Counting Crows, Live, Blues Traveler and the Wallflowers.
The Will Hoge Band also has a pending mid-January release of their
debut album, "Carousel."
It certainly
looks like more liquid bleach and touring are in their future. The
Will Hoge band will be opening for Jump, Little Children at Legends
Thursday, Sept. 21. Tickets will be $8 at the door, with doors opening
at 9 p.m.
The show is
BYOB with a 6-pack limit and proper ID.
If you would
like to check out the straight-ahead rock of the Will Hoge band
and learn a bit more about them, the band has MP3s available for
listening and other information at www.willhoge.com.
Call
It A Comeback, LL Cool J knocks out previous recordings
Ty Brueilly
"Don't call
it a comeback, I've been here for years." Anyone who listened to
LL Cool J in the past will, without a doubt, remember that oh so
catchy verse from his 1990 release of "Mama Said Knock You Out."
Since then the rap road has been a bit bumpy for the rapper otherwise
known as James Smith--he released two mediocre albums that still
sold a million but didn't leave an impact on the rap game.
LL also took
some time off to advance his acting career and to handle the verbal
massacres by young gun Canibus. Now with his newest release, "G.O.A.T.
Featuring James T.
Smith, the Greatest
of All Time," he has come back with excellent rhymes and proven
to be near the top of the rap game-- but by no means the greatest
rapper of all time.
The album starts
out in the intro with a good freestyle-type rhyme by L over a beat
stolen from the Wu-Tang Clan. Next comes the get-your-back-off-the-wall
club jumper, "Imagine That," which could easily be renamed "Doin'
It: The Remix."
Smith comes
out swinging next with rugged-voiced rapper Ja Rule in "Back Where
I Belong," where he weakly tries to finally squash the beef between
Canibus and himself. Smith also clarifies where he recently was
in his life and why he needed to come up with a new album that is
off the hook.
"The other night
I was up on Farmer's politicin' with some bloods. They told me,
Yo L, in the streets you ain't gettin' no love, and ever since the
X's and Jiggas came out, my [boys] ain't tryin' to hear that smooth
[style] you talkin' 'bout."
In "LL Cool
J," the beat is also robbed, this time from the Notorious B.I.G.,
but his rhymes set the tone for the rest of the album--crisp and
smooth. L then hosts an all-star cast from the East Coast who rhyme
to an uncontrollably catchy beat in "Fuhgidabowdit" featuring Method
Man, Redman and DMX.
In "Can't Think,"
LL sympathizes with people who are close to giving up on their dreams
because of extreme circumstances by saying he pressed on to get
where he is. "In '87, my name was on the map. Now it feels like
a razor down the middle of my back. They slept on my lyrical ability
to blow.
They gave another
[man] credit for inventing my flow." Then LL appeals as always to
the ladies in "This Is Us" featuring Carl Thomas, "Hello" featuring
Amil, and "You and Me" featuring Kelly Price. In "This Is Us," Uncle
L explains the hardships of a long relationship: "You know that
I do the best that I can, but you don't seem to love me no more."
In "Hello,"
L creates a Girl 6 telephone conversation scenario with the voice
of rock-a-fella's first lady Amil on the other end. On the track
"You and Me," LL falls for a woman that just ended a relationship
with a boyfriend that didn't treat her just right.
"You say that
your man's been ridin' your nerves, and you hate him for not giving
you the life you deserve. Remember the one that holds a grudge is
foul, and everything you wanted is in front of you now." In L's
wake up call, "Homicide," he immediately addresses the authorities
by saying, "I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but Columbine
happens in the ghetto everyday. But when it goes down y'all ain't
got nothing to say." At the end of "Homicide," a police recording
of five police cars rushing to rescue a cat from a tree while they
ignore a murder that was drug-related is played. In "Track 14,"
LL recruits a West Coast, all-star cast with Snoop Dogg, Xzibit
and Jayo Felony to rhyme over a head-bobbing beat that catches you
completely off guard that late in the album.
L raps to a
swizz-beat replica in "The G.O.A.T." and two catchy bonus tracks
to wrap up the CD, with L's most exquisite rhymes.
If you can put
up with a big-headed rapper who thinks he is the best at everything,
the eighteen-track "G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith, the Greatest
of All Time" is well worth your money, especially if you are a hip-hop
fan. If you only like LL's older albums, you might not like this.
L has adapted
to the modern form of the rap game and he does this with success
with excellent rhymes and collaboration with some of the biggest
names in the rap game--producers as well as rappers.
He has not put
enough heart into his rhymes, beats and lyrics to be the greatest
rapper of all time, but he is high on the charts. He deserves credit.
Rapping for 15 years, he has outlasted all other rappers and been
successful with millions of copies sold. Although his last two albums
were borderline, with his new album you can absolutely call this
a comeback.
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