Thursday, >
Page 12 The Battalion Thursday, April 6,1989
Reviews
Local progressive rock trio brings
talent, originality to music scene
Photo by Jay Janner
Members of the College Station band The Mo- Richard Ardoin (guitar and vocals), and Mark
nads, from left to right: Scott Dunlap (drums), Daniel (bass).
By Shane Hall
REVIEWER
The Monads are Bryan-College
Station’s leading progressive rock
band. On their self-titled, 10-song
demo tape, this trio presents some
danceable, original rock in the style
of early R.E.M. or Violent Femmes.
The songs boast consistently clean
vocals, an occasional psychedelic gui
tar bite and musical and songwriting
skills aplenty.
Richard Ardoin (guitar, vocals),
Mark Daniel (bass) and Scott Dunlap
(drums) make up the trio.
Many bands have problems with
members leaving and having to find
replacements, ,but with these guys,
the problem was finding a band
name to stick with. They called
themselves the Rain for a while, then
the Killbillies, before settling on the
Monads.
Dunlap cites the Smiths, R.E.M.
and Jane’s Addiction as influences
on the band’s music.
The music itself is a treat, not a
weak track in the bunch. Most of the
songs move at a fairly rapid pace,
driven by Daniel’s bass licks and
Dunlap’s relentless drumming. On
some songs, Dunlap must wear his
arms out from his energetic flailing
at drums and cymbals.
Meanwhile, against the rhythms
of Daniel and Dunlap, Ardoin plays
quick, catchy guitar passages, but oc
casionally flexes his musical muscles
by playing short solos with some
grunge power to them.
Ardoin is a capable vocalist, as
well. The Monads’ songs, like those
of many modern rock bands, are of
ten difficult to decipher in terms of
message or meaning, so I won’t at
tempt any deep interpretation of the
lyrics. This task is best left to the lis
teners.
All of the songs on the tape are
good, but some really stand out. One
is the opening track, “My Lucky
Day,” which is a good introduction
to the Monads’ sound.
“Swinging Man,” with Dunlap’s
short, sharp drum rolls, is another
highlight, as is Ardoin’s stinging gui
tar work on the funky “5 Finger
Welfare.” There are numerous
other memorable moments on this
tape, but let’s just say that these guys
are definitely one of the brightest
spots in the local music scene.
Film ‘1969’paints moving portrait of war-torn era
“1969”
Starring Kiefer Sutherland
Directed by Ernest Thompson
Rated R
★★★V2
By Shane Hall
REVIEWER
“1969” is an often-moving look at
the war that raged in America over
the war being fought in the jungles
of Vietnam.
Writer/director Ernest Thompson
has made a film that captures the
turbulence of the late 1960s and fea
tures brilliant performances by two
of Hollywood’s most talented young
actors, Kiefer Sutherland and Rob
ert Downey Jr.
At the same time, however,
“1969” tends to be overly sentimen
tal.
Sutherland and Downey star as
Scott and Ralph, best friends en
rolled at a small Maryland} college.
Both are students for the same rea
son: to avoid the draft.
Scott is the serious-minded, stu
dious type; Ralph, the party animal.
During the film, we get to know
both characters and we sympathize
with at least one. Scott, philosoph
ically opposed to the war, fails to get
any understanding at all from his
war veteran father (Bruce Dern) or
from his Vietnam-bound Marine
brother, Alden (Christopher
Wynne).
Ralph couldn’t care less about
protesting the war or much about
the war itself. All he knows is that he
wants no part of it. To him, the most
important things in life are girls and
drug§.
“1969” includes many scenes you
would expect to see in a film set in
late 1960s America: campus riots, a
somber protest march, and so forth.
The scene of a campus riot is one of
the film’s high points.
Ralph and Scott, their visiting
mothers and Ralph’s sister, Beth, are
all caught in the riot as students try
ing to sieze a building are battered
by club-wielding police.
Thompson’s direction gives the
scene an appropriate sense of confu
sion and disorder.
One of the most emotional mo
ments, when one must struggle to
hold the tears back, is when Scott
learns that Alden is missing in action
in Vietnam. This leads Scott and
Ralph to break into a selective serv
ice office to destroy their draft files.
One of the best things about this
film is that it avoids cliches, even
when opportunities for them are
ripe.
The scenes of Scott and Ralph hit
ting the road in Scott’s wildly
painted van, for example, had the
potential to be the same old story of
two hippies going on the road to
“find freedom” or whatever it is
they’re supposed to do. But it turns
out the two friends return home af
ter a brief stay with a nudist colony.
Downey and Sutherland are ex
cellent from start to finish as Ralph
and Scott. Add the fine supporting
players and there is not a weak link
in the cast.
The film boasts a great sound
track that features music from the
period depicted. The music includes
songs by the group Crosby, Stills,
Nash and Young; Jimi Hendrix;
Creedence Clearwater Revival; Eric
Burdon and the Animals; and oth
ers.
“1969” is a movie that does not
seem to be out to make a statement
about the era or to lecture about the
lessons of Vietnam. Its purpose
seems to be to present a portrait of
an era the way it was.
Hitchcock ‘n’Egyptians
eclectic yet nondescript
Robyn Hitchcock ’n’ the Egyp
tians
Queen Elvis
A&M Records
By Suzanne Hoechstetter
REVIEWER
Expect the eclectic on Robyn
Hitchcock ‘n’ the Egyptians’ new
release, Queen Elvis. This folk-
rock band has an interesting style
that is all its own, although there
is nothing overly exciting or ex
traordinary on the album.
The band seems to be fond of
sudden rhythm and pace
changes, which contrasts the con
tinuous lyrical guitar played by
Peter Buck and Hitchcock in
most of the songs. The instru
mentals combined with the lyrics
give the album a dream-state
quality. Most of the lyrics are sur
realistic, if not ambivalent.
For example, in “The Devil’s
Coachman,” Hitchcock sings,
“The universe is based on sullen
entropy — it falls apart as it goes
on,” and “Yesterday I saw the
Devil in my food. I wasn’t hun
gry, but I played with it.”
The band also uses different
“instruments” to create unique
sounds. In “Knife,” keyboard
The Quartet Zu, a string quar
tet, can be heard in “The Devil’s
Coachman,” and in “Veins of the
Queen” Dave Woodhead plays
the trumpet score he wrote to
give the song a royal sound.
Hitchcock, who wrote and co
produced (with Metcalfe) all the
songs on the album, presents
some bizarre ideas and images in
his songs.
In “Veins of the Queen,” he
dreams about being able to say he
has traveled through the veins of
the queen, because it would be the
closest anyone ever had been to
her. It is an interesting concept,
although it seems that Hitchcock
went on a rhyming binge when he
wrote some of the lines like, “O
the Queen and her cellar full of
dogs/ Wonder has she any frogs/
Does she ever chop up logs?”
Hitchcock’s voice is hoarse and
very deep in some places, but you
can hear him struggling to reach
the extremely low and high notes
in songs like “Knife.”
The lyrics are about a knife
about to take someone’s life, but
the listener discovers that it is
only a dream that keeps repeat
ing itself. This song mirrors the
tone of the whole album. Hitch
cock’s ideas in the lyrics are com-
>lex, but he includes a humorous
ine to remind the listener to stop
trying to analyze the music.
“Freeze” is one of the better
songs on the album. It starts out
slow and increases to a frenzied
tempo before slowing down
again. It is a song about a guy
who lost his girl, Elaine, to a guy
named Ray. Because of his loss,
he charges that whoever wrote
the book of love was an idiot and
a fool.
“Superman” is a chaotic song.
The guitar played by Hitchcock
in the beginning sounds like a
slow country-western song. Then
it speeds up and suddenly stops.
Hitchcock sings way off key and
offbeat (on purpose, for an artis
tic effect, I would assume). It is
interesting to hear his British ac
cent, which is especially notice
able when he pronounces the T
in “privacy” to rhyme with “crib"
instead of “kite.”
“One Long Pair of Eyes" has
surrealistic lyrics. If the song is
about anything I guess it would
be about the power a girl had
over a guy because she was so
strikingly beautiful, but it is hard
to say for sure.
What makes the lyrics so hard
to understand is the fact that
Hitchcock sings with little emo
tion. It is hard to tell if he is sati
rizing other musicians, himself,
or the situations that he sings
about. It is not clear if he is even
trying to be satirical, humorous
or mad about anything. The al
bum is not for the lazy listener be
cause he must decide what Hitch-
cock ‘n’ the Egyptians are trying
to communicate through their
music.
Queen Elvis is an interesting al
bum that is easy to like if you are
fond of the slightly unusual. It is
not fantastic, but it is not bad ei
ther. Its redeeming quality is that
it is different.
Thanks to Music Express for
loaning this album for review.
Informational Meeting
Monday, April 10 th.
225 MSC
7:00 P.M.
Around Town
Live Music
Brazos Landing
Brazos Landing is at Northgate.
Everyone is admitted. Beer, wine
and mixed drinks are served. For
more information, call 846-3497.
Thursday — Medicine Tribe
benefit. $3 cover.
Friday — Dana Cooper. Rock ’n’
roll. $4 cover.
Saturday — Preston Reed.
Acoustic. $5 cover.
Cow Hop Annex
Next to the restaurant at North-
gate. Those 18 and older ad
mitted. Alcohol served to legal
drinkers. Call 696-5522 for more
information.
Thursday — Patio Furniture.
Rock. Cover.
Friday — Sneaky Pete and the
Neon Madmen. Classic rock.
Cover.
Saturday — Subculture. Dance
rock. Cover.
Wednesday — Singalong with
Sneaky Pete. $ 1 cover.
Emiliano’s
In Bryan at 502 W. 25th St. Beer,
wine and set-ups served. Call 775-
9539 for more information.
Friday — Tierra Tejana. Span
ish. Cover $5-$6.
Frank’s Bar and Grill
In College Station at 503 E. Uni
versity Drive. All ages are ad
mitted. Beer, wine and liquor are
served to legal drinkers. Call 846-
5388 for more information.
No live music scheduled for
this weekend.
Kay’s Cabaret
At Post Oak Mall. Those 18 and
over are admitted. Beer, wine
and liquor served to legal drink
ers. For more information, call
696-9191.
Thursday — Further the
Curve. Rock. $2 cover.
Friday — Blueshound. Rock/b
lues. $2 cover.
Saturday — Don Overby. Origi
nals and classic oldies. No cover.
Movies
All movies and showtimes are
provided by the theaters and are
subject to change.
Cinema Three
Located at 315 College Ave. in
the Skaggs Shopping Center. Call
693-2796 for more information.
Fletch Lives. Rated PC. Show-
times are 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
Lean On Me. Rated PC-13. Show-
times are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Dead Bang. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7:20 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Ends
Friday.
Cyborg. Rated R. Showtimes are
7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Opens
Friday.
Post Oak Three
Located in the Post Oak Mall. Call
693-2796 for more information.
Working Girl. Rated R. Show-
times are 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
Ends Friday.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adven
ture. Rated PG. Showtimes are
7:20 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Chances Are. Rated R. Show-
times are 7:10 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.
Dream Team. Rated PG-13.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 9:15
p.m. Opens Friday.
Schulman Six
In Bryan at 2002 E. 29th Street.
Call 775-2643 for more informa
tion.
Twins. Rated PG. Showtimes are
7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
The Naked Gun. Rated PG-13.
Showtimes are“7:10 p.m. and
9:25 p.m.
Her Alibi. Rated PG. Showtimes
are 7:15 p.m. and 9:35 p.m.
The Fly II. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7:05 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
1969. Rated R. Showtimes are
7:20 p.m. and 9:55 p.m.
Troop Beverly Hills. Rated PG.
Showtimes are 7:25 p.m. and
9:50 p.m.
Plaza Three
In College Station at 226 South
west Parkway. Call 693-2457 for
more information.
Rain Man. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7 p.m. and 9:35 p.m.
Leviathan. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7:20 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
Skin Deep. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7:10 p.m. and 9:50 p.m.
Manor East Three
In Bryan in the Manor East Mall.
Call 823-8300 for more informa-
For People With Diverse Musical Interests And Who
Want To Apply For Town Hall Next Year.
We Will Talk About Different Subcommittees And Expectations.
tion.
Sing. Rated PG-13. Showtimes
are 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Dangerous Liaisons. Rated R.
Showtimes are 7:20 p.m. and
9:45 p.m.
The Rescuers. Rated G. Show-
times are 7:05 p.m. and 9:40 p.m.
TOWN HALL : Brings quality local, regional, and national talent
to A & M campus, student body, and
Byran / College Station community.
Applications will be available at this meeting and are currently available in the
Town Hall cube located in 216 MSC. Due Friday, April 15 th. by 5:00 P.M.
Applications
Wo
CLEAR LAE
Perched on the
day boat, Pat
sailing book on }
tiller as she flipp
That was al
when Whitlow
to sail. Throug
and much scho
years, sailing h;
constant in Whii
Now, it is her
Whitlow, an i
at the Helm, a
based school th
clung women t<
foot sloop hz
League City. W
ing sailing, it’s
around a boat sc
"Sailing bega
me,” Whitlow :
thing I could. I :
could sail on. I t
was the way I w
living — on boa
dew
in vo c i
creat
NEW YORK
brave new color
its descriptive w
mind.
Take nectar, ]
tually colorless s
from flowers to
what to make of
the color of nect
A color wor
from any of se’
fanciful as flora
sic as the wea
materials.
Ad and catah
haps bored with
blue, yellow and
etry and eleganc
garnet, cornfiov
den.
Those are the
nately, they also
mist and verdani
To confuse u:
ful describer's r
plum; this one’s
glass; his sepia is
They also te
narrow fields,
watchers, eyes \
shell, teal and
the builders, s
hues of limesti
adobe and stuccc
We get a cook
chutney and p
sage. Beachcoml
nean, sea spray,
in their minds’
touch comes wii
taupe, sienna an
down the garder
gold, wisteria, v
thorn.
Official comn
to be generous, t
“I think a cob
mislead,” says M
ciate director of
tion of the Unite
The associatic
posit of standar
archives and a f
and issues coloi
ernmentand ind
While a name
in the correct cat
out it can also “<
ling.”
“It’s better to i
of blue, light-gra
Walch says,
priateness in cok
into account thi
ion.”
New O
creole
NEW YORK
called the “heat
leans.”
And in music
Brothers are kn
musicians.”
For more thai
ville name has
with all the tradit
city. Their soun
gumbo of styles
African, Cajun, r
ing in music as
Orleans itself. C
The brothers
Charles and Cyri
ually for more tl
fore they finally
verse talents in
albums and a twe
band has just rek
“Yellow Moon.”
The collectioi
original songs, is
political and per:
which they expre
social issues.
The album’s
Rosa,” is a tribute
became one of t
civil rights move
she refused to gi
white person on
Montgomery, A
number, written
percussionist Cy