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The Battalion
Tuesday, March 3,1992
MSC<¥AH Night Fair
Committee hosts the
1992 Fair
Saturday March 7
8pm - 2am @ MSC
Admission
Review
Redbone's cool style spans generations
Leon Redbone proves he can do a lot more than sell beer on ‘Up a Lazy River.’
By Chris Eklof
The Battalion
Leon Redbone
"Up A Lazy River"
Private Music
Leon Redbone, master of
post-ragtime blues and jazz, is
probably best known to college
students from a beer
commercial. His trademark hat,
sunglasses and moustache are
almost as instantly recognizable
as his voice. The man can do a
lot more than sell beer though,
and it would be worth your time
to check out what Redbone and
his music are all about. "Up A
Lazy River" is Redbone's ninth
and latest album.
The slow crooning, deep
vocal delivery of Redbone
stands alone in the music world.
His sound is retrospective,
going back to an earlier music
time. Redbone remakes a few
early jazz tunes but also writes
many of his own songs in the
same ragtime style.
Redbone specializes in
fanciful tunes that paint
interesting mental paintings like
"At The Chocolate Bon Bon
Ball" and "Mr. Jelly Roll
Baker." "At The Chocolate Bon
Bon Ball" describes the late-
night activities in a candy store.
"A little jelly bean / And Mr.
Walnut Cream Acted as though
they were daffy / Fast asleep Td
like to fall / Just to dream about
that ball."
Watching and hearing the
man perform brings one word
to mind —cool. The man looks
cool, totally in control of his
environment, extremely content
and with a mellow, laid-back
attitude. His baritone voice is
cool because of its sound quality
and the fact that it oozes
Redbone's low-key attitude.
The title track is the perfect
example of Redbone's cool. The
song is also the perfect song for
Redbone's style. One can
almost picture him floating
down a river on a raft with his
guitar on his lap and slowly
singing his song.
There was some pressure
applied from Redbone's fans to
record "Bittersweet Waltz."
Redbone performed the song on
an episode of ABC's "Life Goes
On," where he played Corky's
magical friend, a sort of
guardian angel. The response
from his fans made him include
the song on this album.
Redbone also plays some
harder rocking roll songs.
Redbone shows some versatility
with his version of "You're a
Heartbreaker," a song that was
once covered by Elvis Presley.
Redbone has few peers in his
musical style. He stands alone
as a practitioner of the old style
music with some new twists
thrown in. His slow, bluesy,
Dixieland style probably
appeals more to an older
generation. However, there is
music on this album that will
attract younger people as well.
When the music is as good
as it is on "Up A Lazy River," it
can stretch over generation gaps
and be appreciated by everyone.
This album is definitely worth a
listen because the least it can do
is expand your listening
horizons. Leon Redbone is
much more than just another
pretty face selling beer, he's a
nigh class musician.
Aggieland Mardi Gras celebrates first year
By Terri Welch
The Battalion
While New Orleans and
Galveston held their celebrations,
Aggieland got a taste of a famed
tradition right in its own
backyard on Saturday night.
The first annual "Leap into
Mardi Gras," sponsored by Off-
Campus Aggies (OCA), took
Northgate by storm and has local
merchants claiming they are
ready for the party to return.
"We had the place packed
from the beginning to end," said
Bob Deam, manager of Two
Pesos. "It was a lot of fun and we
are already looking forward to
next year."
Two Pesos, Dudley's Draw,
the Dixie Chicken, Equinox,
Spanky's and Double Dave's
joined in the celebration by selling
the traditional Blackened Voodoo
beer, displaying purple, green
and yellow colors, and hanging
up Bourbon Street Signs.
KTSR began broadcasting live
at 6:30 p.m. from Two I^esos, and
by 9:30 p.m. the crowds were
taking up a lane and a half of
University Drive, said Teri
Heimer, a junior marketing major
from San Antonio and OCA's
Director of Social Affairs.
"People wanted to do
everything there was to do that
night," she said. "We gave out
over 2,000 beads, kazoos and
masks, which everyone wore all
night long. But the beads seemed
to be the number one thing to
have."
OCA also sold pieces of a
"King and Queen's" cake for 25
cents and with each piece came a
number. The two winning
numbers drawn were crowned
King and Queen of Mardi Gras.
"People were dressed in
Mardi Gras costumes, wearing
tinsel wigs, and I even saw people
come out after Military Ball in
their uniforms and formals," said
Heimer.
Heimer, who came up with
the street party idea for this year,
said when she approached the
Northgate merchants with the
proposal, they jumped at it.
"I found out that about ten
years ago, there used to be a party
like this in the parking lots behind
Northgate, but that it had died
down," Heimer said. "Next year
we hope to bring a big name band
to play behind the establishments,
but there is the problem of noise
control."
She says OCA hopes to hold a
Mardi Gras parade next year if
the city approves.
The celebration was not a
money maker for OCA, Heimer
says, but more of a publicity thing
and a safe alternative.
"If people couldn't go to
Mardi Gras in New Orleans or
Galveston, they could come here,"
she said. "It is a safe alternative,
being right across from campus
and in town where a friend could
drive them home."
Heimer says this year's first
annual celebration went over
really well with the businesses,
and the crowd and admits it
added something different to
Northgate.
In Advance
OPAS plans
'Tosca' lecture 1
MSC OPAS will present
"Appreciating Your Night at
the Opera," an introduction to
and explanation of Puccini's
opera "Tosca" tonight at 8
p.m. in Rudder 301. Ira Black
will discuss the music,
history, production and;
performance of the opera
which is coming to Colleger
Station Friday and Saturday I
nighU.
Tosca is a beautiful singer
whose love for Cavaradossi, a
painter, is tormented by a
corrupt police chief who lusts
for her. The opera is tragically
romantic, filled with jealousy,
passion and betrayal.
"Tosca," performed by the
New York City Opera
National Company, is in
Italian with English
supertitles. Two pairs of
tickets to the opera will be
given away to attendants.
One More Time...
This is your TV
This is your TV
with AggieVision
Buy AggieVision. Texas A&M’s only 60 minute
VHS video yearbook. Only $29.95 + tax. Order in
Room 230 Reed McDonald today.
FINAL SKI
CLEARANCE SALE
20% TO 40% OFF
Alt SKI PARKAS, BIBS, POWER JACKETS, AND PANTS, SKI CAPS,
GOGGLES, GLOVES, EAR MUFFS, NECK WARMERS, THER-MAX
UNDERWEAR, THERMAX SOCK AND GLOVE LINERS, GATORS.
tri'State
SPORTING GOODS
3600 Old College Rd.
Bryan, TX 77801
HURRY FOR BEST SELECTION
Open 9-6 Mon.-Sat.
846-1947
Across from Chicken Oil Co.
4JU
^Tr
M
INEMAX
J.L
IS CUKRENTLY UNDERGOING MAJOR
U E N O V A T I O N
THIS FALL, MSC STUDENT PROGRAMS WILL
UNVEIL A MODERN VERSION OF A TIME-H0NDRE
CAMPUS TRADITION.
□UR COMMITTEE WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRAM FILMS FOR
CAMPUS EXHIBITION AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST, BUT THAT
WILL BE ONLY PART OF A LARGER FILM SOCIETY WHICH
WILL HOLD AN ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL, AND MUCH MORE
OFFICER APPLICTyVriOIVfi
now available
IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF PROGRAMMING,
OPERATIONS, FINANCE, EXTERNAL RELATIONS)
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, AND PRODUCTION
GET INVOLVED IN THE NATION’S LARGEST
STUDENT-RUN FILM PROGRAMMING
ORGANIZATION, AND ITS NEWEST FILM SOCIETY
GOME BY OUR CUBICLli: IN THE STUDENT
PROGRAMS OFFICE (ROOM 21G MSC) EOII
AN APPLICATION AND MORE INFO, OK
CALL PAUL AT R47-1435.
(APPLICATIONS DUE MONDAY MARCH 9 BY 5:00
P.M. FOR FIRST ROUND SELECTION.]