Coming
Attractions
A BOGART FESTIVAL is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Rudder Tower.
The first show is “Casablanca. Ingrid Bergman and Peter Lorre join Bogey in the
melodrama set in the North African city. It won the 1943 Oscar for Best Picture and
Best Screenplay.
The second show is “The Maltese Falcon. A statue filled with jewels is sought by
private eyes Lori and Bogart. The film is vintage 1941.
WHEN AN AMERICAN astronaut is “ship-wrecked” on Mars, he must rely on a
monkey to find water, he wanders across an alien whom he befriends and calls Friday,
and generally makes paradise out of no man s land.
The ston is “Robinson Crusoe On Mars and will play in room 701 of the Tower
Thursday night at 8 and 10.
WHEN A LUXURY liner is capsized by a tidal wave a group of survivors is united
against nature to reach the sky through an open propellor shaft.
"Poseidon Adventure will play Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Rudder Theater.
“RED DESERT" is the ston of a man stripped naked of purpose and emotion by a
stark environment.
“Red Desert is a foreign classic, the work of Italian director, Michelangelo
Antonioni. "Red Desert will be shown at 8 p.m Monday in the Rudder Theater. A
discussion following the film will be led by Dr. Harriett Andreadis. Tickets are $1 and
on sale at the box office, first floor of the Rudder Tower.
FREDERICO FELLINI'S “La Dolce Vita is the story of Rome, its splendor and
squalor. Marcello Mastroianni stars. The film will showTuesday in the Rudder Theater
at 8 p.m.
IT S BLACK MUSIC.
To funk up and fire up those Aggies, free tickets are available to the Hues
Corporation and Mandrill concert Friday night for Student Activity card holders.
Hues Corp. is on a return visit to A&M with their brand of bubbly-soully sound.
Mandrill, a little less known has a broad background sound encompassing rock,
folk, gospel, Latin, calypso and New York City-blues. The musicianship of the group
ranges to some 30 instruments. They re best known for their wild showmanship.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. Friday in G. Rollie White Coliseum.
CLASSICAL PIANIST, Robert deGaetano, will perform Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the
MSC Ballroom. He also will conduct a workshop Monday at 8 p.m. in the same area.
DeGaetano graduated from Julliard School of Music and has performed through
out the United States, Canada and Europe. He is especially comfortable with the
Russian composers of the last centurv.
THE COFFEEHOUSE will open its doors at 8.p.m. Fridas and Saturday. A
50-cent cover charge will Ire collected at the door.
Thomas Shields, a new performer in the Coffeehouse, and Richards-Dewlong
Team, a"Dylan-t\ pe folk sound, will play Friday. Luis Jaurique, a Mexican with a feel
for American folk-rock, and Paula Lozano-Canning, a “Carole King-type” vocalist-
pianist, will pla\ Saturday.
Tickets are available at the box office, first floor Rudder Tower.
AT MINNESOTA UNIVERSITY, a heftv football star approached English pup
peteer Peter Aruott after a performance. He stood silently staring for sometime and
finally spoke saving, “That was like eating meat.
At 8 p.m., Oct. 1, Arnott, a master in the neglected medium of marionette theater
will bring meat to A&M. "Oedipus the King will be presented by Arnott in the
Rudder Theater.
Sophocle s plav focuses on the attempt of the Theban king, Oedipus, to find the
cause of the blight threatening his countrv . I le is told bv the gods that the country will
he cleansed once the murderer of the former king, Laius is found and punished.
All of Oedipus energies are spent on this goal. With slow agony, Oedipus realizes
that he killed Laius, that Laius was his father and that his wife is his mother. A tragic
end befalls both Oedipus and his wife.
Tickets for the marionette production are available at the box office, first floor
Rudder Tower or at the door. Admission is $1.
A CHANCE TO become better acquainted with the skills of weaving, macrame
and sticherv will be offered Tuesdav and Wednesday.
Ann Mitchell, a nationally recognised fiber designer will conduct workshops in
these skills from 1 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. Each workshop has a $6 fee for supplies
and, will be held in the Arts and Crafts Center, basement of the MSC.
THE BATTALION Page 5
WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 24, 1975
Basement offers relaxation
By STEVE REIS
Battalion Staff Writer
Sitting in the dark surrounded by the
muffled voices of people, the lights begin to
come up.
The reddish light brightens and a white
spotlight picks out a lone figure with a
guitar in her lap.
Then the sounds of country music fill the
air and a sweet voice sings of highways,
flowers and days passed.
This is the Basement Committee’s Cof
feehouse.
Located beneath the Post Office of the
Memorial Student Center, the Cof
feehouse is open Fridays and Saturdays
from 8 p.m. to midnight, said Jeff Davis,
chairman of the Basement.
The Coffeehouse started as a bare con
crete brick room with fluorescent lights.
It has since blossomed into a room filled
with chairs and tables. It contains an upper
level, a sound booth, a stage, a concession
stand and a back room for the entertainers
to prepare.
The room is painted black with a large
colorful painting on one wall. Wood pillars
hold the upper deck firm. Candles sputter
on the tables, adding to the general effect of
a true coffeehouse.
It is completely atypical to the rest of the
MSC. Members of the Corps can go with
out uniforms and the atmosphere is very
relaxed, said Davis.
Davis added that all the changes and
work that have been done have been
through the perseverence of members of
the committee.
The music played in the Coffeehouse fits
no one category. “Most of the performers
may imitate different styles ranging from
The Basement,
empty and de
serted, awaits
the crowd of
people and the
strains of foot-
stomping music.
true folk to contemporary folk or country
rock,” explained Davis.
The different repertoires include Latin
music, blues, dirty ditties but not much
rock and roll. It is primarily good foot
stomping music.
Eight to twelve performers play each
night. They audition before a group of
Basement committee members before they
are allowed to play in the Coffeehouse.
“But one of the amazing things about the
performers,” said Davis, “is that they are thing entirely different.
talented yet intelligent people.
“Some mediocre musicians may decide
to go professional instead of going to col
lege. But our performers are ambitious
people, he explained. “Thev want to
further their education and share their ta
lents, too.
Davis contends that this makes the Cof
feehouse a place for unique entertainment.
“Of course we don t compete with Town
Hall, we couldn t do that. We are some-
And the Coffeehouse is growing. Davis
explained that the sound system will be
renovated — air conditioning will be instal
led— and the stage will be enlarged and
lifted higher off the floor for better viewing.
“But it will take time, said Davis.
The Coffeehouse is a pleasant place to
spend a weekend evening, if the style of
music fits your taste. It is a relaxed atmos
phere that offers an escape from the studies
that are an inevitable part of A&M life.
Cajun weekend
Bourbon St. highlights trip
By DON MIDDLETON
Battalion Staff Writer
When Old Army invaded Louisiana this
past weekend, the Louisiana State Police
turned out in force to repel the assault, as
evidenced by the large number of Cajun
cop-cars sitting along the swampy road
sides.
But Aggies, armed with citizen’s band
radios and bolstered by several species of
liquid courage, broke through the militia
and landed on the shores of Lake Ponchart-
rain by moonlight.
Nitelife
in B-CS
JOE’S
By STEVE REIS
, Battalion Staff Writer
There is constant complaint about the lack of things
to do in the Bryan-College Station area, but for the indus
trious person, many forms of entertainment can be found.
One of these places is Joe’s.
Joe s is located on the right side of Highway 21 on the
way to Madisonville.
It is past Bodiddles, one block beyond Dan’s Place
and 16 miles tins side of North Zuleh.
From the outside, Joe’s appeal s to be little more than
a serve-yourself gas station, somewhat rundown at that.
But upon entering through the small double doors,
the visitor is faced with four small tables covered with
checkered tablecloths. The tables are flanked by wooden
chairs that don’t look very sturdy, but haven’t broken yet.
On the right is a bar, apparently out of the 1930 s.
Cushioned barstools line the counter and behind it are the
many curios that make Joe s unique. ,
Sitting on the right end of the bar is a watermelon
that has been grown in a three pound coffee can. Ask
about it, the gentleman behind the bar will be more than
happy to explain.
Behind the bar are price lists, commemorativ e Pearl
beer cans, licenses and a glass case stocked with meats,
beer and other assorted edibles and drinkables.
Also behind the bar are shelves of unknown artifacts,
which the more curious visitor may ask about.
Beyond the bar and tables are a jukebox, two pool
tables and a bowling pinball machine that doesn't work.
It only costs a quarter to play a game of eight ball and
some of the cue sticks are even straight.
There is a faucet and bucket to wash the chalk from
your hands when finished playing. And a roll of paper
towels sometimes hangs there for your convenience.
The jukebox is filled with music that would delight
any drugstore cowboy. There is even a selection of true
“kicker music.
One delightful fact about Joe’s is the price and temp
erature of the beer on tap. It is only 40c and quite cold.
Often the beer is served in mugs so cold that the liquid
freezes at the bottom and floats to the top.
The atmosphere is veiy relaxed. Anyone sitting at
the tables is more than happy to talk to a receptive ear
about the President or next year’s crop.
Occasionally, a girl, about 15 years old, may come
storming in the back door asking where her mother is and
raiding the ice cream chest. But if you ignore her, she
goes away; sometimes she doesn t even slam the door on
her way out.
But Joe s Place is great for the student who wants to
get away from the loud commercialized places close to
campus.
It offers an escape from the fast mov ing pace of
University life to a friendly country atmosphere.
Remember that the beer is cheap and cold. The
company is friendly. And the music is good if you like
country. Don t even worry about the little girl, it s doubt
ful that she bites — too hard anyway.
The true story of the L.S.U. weekend,
however, began Saturday afternoon. Sept.
13, on the steps of G. Rollie White Col
iseum. There, amid sleeping bags and dogs
chasing frisbees. Aggies with senior ticket
coupon books calmly waited for the honor
of receiving passes to the last of the annual
L.S.U. gridiron classics.
Since L.S.U. wisely refused to come to
Kyle Field to play, A&M refused to renew
the contract that has bound them for the
last ten years. The contract set the game in
Tiger Stadium, and allowed L.S.U. to allo
cate the number of tickets the Aggies re
ceive.
When Monday morning arrived, many
walked away empty-handed, but 798
Twelfth Men clutched in their'hands the 1
promise of football excitement and hur
ricanes at Pat O Brien’s.
By Thursday afternoon, the Aggie dele
gation started trickling out of College Sta
tion. Some went by bus and still others by
plane. Several Aggies couldn t remember
how they got there.
All they know for sure is that on Friday
night, they found themselves on the streets
of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
To an Aggie, the Rue Bourbon is a tradi
tion. The bars, strip-joints and little black
bov s tap-dancing in the street mean you are
at home 500 miles from Aggieland.
But not just any place on Bourbon Street
will do. Pete Fountain’s and Al flirt s clubs
were noticed in passing, but few Aggies
actually stopped.
The Hotsy-Totsv Club and the Swedish
Massage Parlor were laughed at, and some
even walked to the doorways of strip-joints.
Usually, a good hard tug on the belt from a
good Ag’s date put him quickly back on the
right track.
Bar after bar was passed by tbe people
from the Brazos Valley. The crowd moved
in a steady stream towards the Rue St.
Pierre. A right turn at Crazy Shirley s bar
and the multitude of people standing in the
street told of making it to Mecca — Pat
O Brien’s.
The line moved steadily in the front
door, but no one ever came out. It was
never understood how so many people
seemed to fit inside with no one leav ing.
The only theory which appeared v iable was
that tbe most inebriated of guests were stuf
fed in emptv hurricane glasses and carried
buf at closing time.
Tables in the courtyard were stacked
high with the fabled hurricane glasses.
Rumor circulated that unless you had at
least six glasses you wouldn t be allowed
back into College Station.
Some of the pickled patrons were con
fused about the occasion. One red-eyed
guzzler yelled “Go Gators every time an
Aggie passed him on the wav to the bar. He
didn’t seem to care that Florida was plav ing
in North Carolina.
A group of Ole Miss fans, remembering
their defeat a week ago by the Farmers,
chanted “who the hell are we? with
clockwork regularity. By the end of the
evening, thev weren t ev en sure who thev
were.
At a quarter to midnight, O’Brien’s
began to clear. Staggering, stumbling and
leaning on relatively stable comrades, the
Aggies gathered at the intersection of
Bourbon and St. Peter Sts.
“Farmers Fight!" and “Gig Em!" echoed
off the historic walls. Most people found
that swaying to “Saw Varsity s Horns Off’
was never so easy.
When the Aggies called it a night, the
river of people reversed direction on the
Rue Bourbon. Aggies whooped and
whoo-wahed their wav towards Canal St.,
darting into the Japanese Takee-Outee for a
giant egg roll or a souvenir shop for a Bour
bon St. t-shirt.
The next morning found Aggies in v ari
ous states. Unfortunately, some thought,
none of them was Texas. For some reason,
Louisiana hangovers are worse than the
homegrown variety. Even thick, black
Cajun coffee with an order of grits didn’t
seem to be the cure.
Somehow, most made it to Tiger
Stadium before the kickoff. However, after
seeing the size of the arena and the number
of Tiger Tans, not ev eryone was sure he
wanted to stav .
But stav the Aggies did, and when the
game was over even the shower of cola
provided by angered Tiger supporters
couldn t alter the sweet taste of victory.
The walk back to the parking lot after the
game was a touchy situation. But if, when
accosted by catcalls and jeers, you v eiled
back as loud or louder, you stood a good
chance of making it to your car unscathed.
Walking in groups of twentv or more also
seemed to aid the situation.
Just as they had come, the Aggies trick
led back to Aggieland at different times and
in different wavs.
Jazz brass sounds off
Atlantic Crossing Rod’s come-back
By JOHN VANORE
Reviewer
After a severe slump, the music world is
pulling itself together once again. Perfor
mers who sounded like they were washed
up are getting back in the mainstream. And
one of those performers is Rod Stewart.
Stewart rode on the crest of popular
acclaim with “Every Picture Tells a Story,”
and kept up the high quality with the re
lease of “Never a Dull Moment” back in
72. After that, though, bis music all started
to sound the same. Sort of like he was trying
to play the Hit Parade formula game. And
losing.
1 m glad to say Rod is on the right track
again, and, while some may contend that
Atlantic Crossing is not up to the caliber
of those previously mentioned LPs, it is
definitely an indicator that Stewart is
headed in the right direction.
There exists the distinct possibility that
Stewart got bored with his old band, the
Faces. That would largely account for the
diminishing quality of the earlier albums,
and also for the fresh and exuberant sound
of “Atlantic Crossing."
Oddly enough, “Atlantic Crossing” is di
vided into a Fast Side and a Slow Side. A
producer as talented as Dowd should have
used the opportunity for variety to make
the record flow more-smoothly. It’s a nui
sance, but only a minor one.
At any rate, Fast Side gets off to a rollick
ing start with “Three Time Loser,” a rauc
ous song about — are you ready? — ven
ereal disease. Really, Stewart’s gravelly
voice covers op most of the lyrics, but the
message gets through. It’s a sort of nasty,
rocking version of “Maggie May.
“Alright for an Hour is a joint effort
written by Stewart and guitarist Jesse Ed
Davis. It’s another catchy tune with a mild
reggae beat about a girl who was “. . . al
right for an hour/Alright for a day/But it
could not last/It could not last a weekend
From a one-night-stand, Stewart rocks
into “All in the Name of Rock and Roll.
The harsh vocals are occasionally subdued,
but the fine performances on guitars,
keyboards, and horns more than make up
for it.
The single from “Atlantic Crossing” is
“Stone Cold Sober,” and it wraps up Fast
Side. I think it’s more than a match for any
single he’s yet released, and just a trifle
better than “Three Time Loser.”
Sounds really great so far, huh? Well
.... Slow Side is not quite as well-done as
Fast Side. Dividing the selections like that
made the slower repertoire seem like it’s
going to drag on, ad infinitum.
“I Don’t Want To Talk About It opens
up Slow Side rather listlessly. “It’s Not the
Spotlight features some nice mandolin,
and there s no cigar for figuring out that
Stewart is picking up on some of tlie basics
that made “Every Picture Tells a Story
such a successful album.
“Still Love You is the real beginning of
Slow Side. It sounds like an out-take from
the days of “Every Picture Tells a Story,”
with heavy overtones from “Mandolin
Wind. It even follows in the same theme;
that of a lost love that may once again be
revived.
It’s almost as good as “Sailing,” the
finale. “Sailing" is a highly symbolic song,
full of imagery and metaphors. It almost
sounds like something used in a Prose
Poetrv English course. “Sailing, is soft but
intense, with smooth strings and Stewart s
gravelly voice in juxtaposition. It’s about an
idyllic journey “To be near you/To be free.”
Like I said, “Atlantic Crossing” may not
be the best Rod Stewart album to date, but
it sure is a step in the right direction.
Welcome back. Rod!
By DON COONROD
Contributor
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band came
like they were going to a funeral. This ap
parently fooled a lot of strangers to their
kind of music. They didn’t know if it was
permissible to make any noise. They knew
better by the end of the concert Wednes
day night.
The band opened the night up with a
bright razzy tune that brought visions of
Bourbon Street and Pat O’Brien’s to mind.
The music they played was entirely tradi
tional tunes that only sound good when
played by the masters.
Except for a few muddy notes from the
trombone and one or two squeaks from the
clarinet, the overall sound of the band was
excellent. The show was dominated by
Percy Humphrey’s clear clean notes on the
trumpet and by Paul Barnes skill on the
clarinet. It might have been the sound sys
tem or that the other mikes didn’t pick up
the rest of the Band’s sound as well.
During the first half, the piano was not
coming across as well as could be expected.
It was soon remedied by the second half.
“Cie Frazier was extremely smooth and
fluid on the drums, during all of his solos.
He also supplied a fantastic rhythm for the
others to follow. Al Jaffe, the leader of the
band, played an old beat-up tuba that
showed it still had quite a few mellow notes
in it. Marvin Kimbell and “Sing Miller
proved to be a harmonious combination on
the banjo and piano. Frank Demond
played a good trombone on most of the
tunes and came across very well on some.
It happens that when a musician plays a
solo, his individual mistakes show more
readily than when he is covered by his
partners. It is a tribute to these performers
that they played so well with so few blurbs.
The audience did not start reacting until
Percy Humphrey started to belt out “Hold
That Tiger. Upon hearing the song,
people started to whoop, holler, and clap.
The audience was not as familiar with
“Clarinet Marmalade” as thev were with
“Hold That Tiger.”
After the intermission, the crowd began
to loosen up. At first one of the band mem
bers would have to get the people to clap;
but soon the fans woidd start of their own
accord. It was toward the end when the
audience began to give the Preservation
Hall Jazz Bank its due.
The grand finale moved the band into the
audience playing “When the Saints Go
Marching In. They led the crowd around
the Theatre and up on stage where they
finished. Some of the tunes they played
Tuesday night were “Just A Closer Walk
With Thee,” “Ain’t Got Nobody, “Ice
Cream,” and “Basin Street.
A short interview was held in order to
facilitate the groups’ departure for the rest
oftheir tour. I spoke with Al Jaffe about the
Band and Preservation Hall.
“The Preservation Hall Jazz Bank has
been in existence for 14 years. We are in
our 15th year. This band here tonight has
played together in New Orleans but never
really toured together, said Jaffe.
“It is a composite of three bands. They all
play in Preservation Hall. We were put
together for this trip especially. From here
we go to Oklahoma, New Mexico, Califor
nia, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Utah,
and home.
When asked if he thought Dixieland Jazz
was the foundation for the other pop music
forms, he replied, “What we play is New
Orleans Jazz which was played long before
anything that could be called Dixieland.
“Dixieland is something that did come
out of New Orleans Jazz. Swing and also
Bop came out of it. I don’t think you can
necessarily say that all popular music did
one way or another come from it, either as a
logical extension or as a reaction against it,
said Jaffe.
I found more students at Preservation
Hall than out here tonight. When Y all
played at LSU, you couldn’t get near the
Hall for the A&M students. It was really
jam-packed,” concluded Jaffe.
EDITORS
NOTE: Special
Section will be a
weekly feature.
Its purpose is to
inform about the
lighter (or as
they say in the
journalism pro
fession, the soft
er) side of life.
This section is
open to contri
bution and com
ment. Call the
S.S. editor be
tween 8 a.m. and
11 p.m. Monday
through Thurs
day at 845-2611
for further infor
mation.