Concerts
Joe 'King' Carrasco parties into town
Joe 'King' Carrasco in concert
Group sponsors
2nd Gospelfest
by Nicole Williams
Battalion reporter
The Voices of Praise, Texas
A&M's gospel singing group,
will sponsor the second annual
Gospelfest Saturday in Rudder
Theater.
The three-hour program, cos
ponsored with the MSC Black
Awareness Committee, will fea
ture six groups from other
schools, churches and communi
ties across Texas.
Groups representing Sam
Houston State University, the
University of Texas, Prairie
View A&M University, Christ
ian Hope Baptist Church and
Texas A&M University will per
form. A solo performance by
Bryan resident Myra Winkley
also is included in the program.
The idea for a Gospelfest
came from the choir's desire to
offer a variety of gospel selec
tions to students and the com
munity, says Tracy Howard,
president of the group.
“We want to snare the music
with everyone, exposing them
to the uplifting expression of
praise represented by gospel
music,” says Calethia Cole,
program manager for MSC
Black Awareness.
Howard says she best de
by Angel Stokes
Battalion staff
Joe "King" Carrasco is com
ing to College Station on Oct. 29
and he is "looking forward to
partying."
"Playing here last spring was
great," Carrasco said in a recent
telephone interview. "It was
one of the best gigs all year."
He hopes the concert has the
same crowd as the last one, he
says, because "it was really
wild."
Carrasco says he loves to play
in open atmospheres where the
audience can move around.
"I would like all my shows to
be like that," he says, "...it's
healthy."
Carrasco and the Crowns, his
band, are on a "mini Texas
tour." Members of the Crowns
are Kris Cummings —
keyboards, Bruce Moody —
bass and Dick Ross — drums.
Audience participation varies
from place to place, Carrasco
says.
"Texas audiences have more
soul," he says. Texans express
themselves through making
noise and moving around, he
says.
Other audiences are more
subdued, he says. The audi
ences in California sit around,
he says, and wonder what the
people next to them are
thinking.
"Other audiences don't party
like Texans," Carrasco says.
Carrasco, a native Texan,
says he created his Tex-Mex im
age because he spends time in
Mexico and has played with sev
eral Chicano bands.
"I like that type music," he
says. Texas has a heavy Spanish
influence, he says, and music
style should be indicative to
where you live.
His latest album, which came
out last spring, "Party
Weekend” has been praised
from New York to Dallas. The
August issue of Playboy calls
Carrasco's music "polka rock."
Asked if "polka rock" is mis
leading, Carrasco says no.
"To be honest, he says, "my
songs are borrowed for the
Spanish and Chicano polkas...!
take a polka melody and turn it
into a rock style." He says in the
song "Burnin' it Down" he bor
rowed ideas from Spanish influ
ences.
The concert in College Station
will be the group's last this year,
he says. After October, he says
he will be working on some new
material in Mexico, Jamaica or
Europe.
Carrasco says he should have
a new album out next spring.
When the new album comes
out, he probably will produce a
new video for MTV. It takes lots
of money to put out videos for
MTV and it's better to put out
videos with albums.
"We just shot a live video in
Austin about two weeks ago,"
he says, but it probably won't
make MTV.
Carrasco says he frequently
watches MTV. The format has
tightened up in past year or so,
he says, and the quality of
videos has improved. The
videos are really lavish now, he
says.
But Carrasco says MTV plays
too many heavy metal videos —
not very very entertaining in his
opinion.
"I would rather watch a video
that tells a story." He says some
of his favorite videos are by
Madness. The first Carrasco
video was produced by the same
guy who does the Madness
videos.
The concert will be at the
Heavy Metal Coliseum. Open
ing for Carrasco will be the local
band Rackitt. Advertised as the
Full Moon Costume Concert,
prizes will be given for the best
costumes. Tickets are available
at Tip Top Records and Tapes
and Hastings for $9. Food and
drinks will be available and sea
ting is festival.
scribes Gospelfest as a gospel
musical. No competition is in
volved.
Last year's Gospelfest
brought more than 300 people to
the theater, and this year's
attendance is expected to in
crease because of better pub
licity.
"We're expecting a full house
this year," says Bobby Bisor,
choir chaplain.
Howard says the group has
been practicing a lot lately in pre
paration for the performance.
The Voices of Praise practice
weekly in the facilities also used
by the Texas A&M Singing
Cadets.
In addition, the group some
times practices on Sunday even
ings at the grand piano located
in the lobby of the Memorial Stu
dent Center.
The group is led by Malcolm
Davis, who started the group
three years ago.
Howard says everyone is in
vited to attend their practices,
and anyone interested in sing
ing gospel music is invited to
join them.
Gospelfest begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased ahead
of time or at the door and are $2
for students and $3 for non
students.
Air Supply to perform
by Angel Stokes
Battalion staff
After cancelling its concert
set for Sept. 23, Air Supply
will be in College Station Oct.
28. The concert was resche
duled so that lead singer Rus
sell Hitchcock could recover
from laryngitis.
Air Supply — formed in
Australia in 1976 — is known
for its mellow love songs. Gra
ham Russell and Russell
Hitchcock formed the group
after meeting in a production
of "Jesus Christ, Superstar."
The seven-member band,
known for such hits as "All
Out Love," "Every Woman in
the World," "The One That
You Love," "Here I Am" and
"Sweet Dreams," has been
called the greatest pop group
of the '80s by Billboard maga
zine.
Its current hit, "Making
Love," has been in Billboard's
number two spot for the past
few weeks.
Russell writes most of the
songs for the group and both
he and Hitchcock sing.
Air Supply began the
North American portion of its
1983 World Tour in California
in May. Jordache Enterprises,
Inc. is sponsoring the United
Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell of Air
Supply will perform Friday.
ipc
Before coming to the
States, Air Supply began its
tour in the Far East. The tour,
which started in April, has
been to promote the group's
new album. Air Supply's
Greatest Hits.
The back-up band with ori
ginal members Ralph Cooper
— drums and Frank Esler-
Smith — keyboards, has ex
panded to include Don Crom
well — bass, Ken Rarick —
synthesizer and Wally Stocker
— guitar.
The John Hall Band will
open the concert. The band is
known for its single "Crazy"
and the MTV video featuring
the song.
The concert will be at 8 p.m.
in G. Rollie White Coliseum.