Arts & Entertainment
Thursday, November 5, 1992 The Battalion Page 3
Robert Earl Keen Jr. Returns
Robert Earl Keen Jr. performs at Stafford Opera House on Friday.
Aggie brings
colorful songs,
stories to B-CS
By TODD BLACKMON
Arts b Entertainment Editor of THE BATTALION
When I talked on the phone
with Robert Earl Keen, Jr., he
was in Nashville shooting his
first video for his upcoming al
bum, "Bigger Piece of Sky."
With his deep Southern
twang revealing his Texas
roots, Keen's colorful descrip
tions ranged from his new al
bum to his upcoming perfor
mance in Bryan.
Keen's newest effort is ex
pected to be released in Febru
ary, and he says it departs
slightly from his typically
acoustic style of music.
"You can expect a lot more
current," Keen said. "You see,
all my other things have been
extremely acoustic. There's a lot
more electric guitars and steel
guitars.
"I never really did a record
with a lot of steel guitar on it,
and this one has a lot of steel
guitar on it," he said. "I never
really did a record with a lot of
electric guitar on it, and this one
has a lot of electric on it."
Keen said one of the differ
ences between this album and
his previous albums is the time
he spent writing songs.
"One of my major concerns
was spending enough time on
the songs," he said. "Instead of
spending four days, like I did
on 'West Textures,' I spent a
month on this record."
Keen, Class of '80, will per
form at Stafford Opera House
Friday night, and most of the
songs from his new album will
be included in the show.
Keen said he is looking for
ward to returning to Bryan-Col-
lege Station.
"Being a student was a little
scary," he said. "I was not a
very good student, but I enjoyed
being in College Station."
Keen said he receives a lot of
fan mail from current Texas
A&M students and has a large
following at A&M.
"I get a lot of letters from
people in College Station; you
know, the Aggies in school," he
said. "They talk about how
they went away for the week
end, or how they went away to
the country, or even how they
just stayed in College Station.
"The thing I never realized
when I was in school is the real
heartfelt camaraderie as far as
being an Aggie. You rarely run
into an Aggie that doesn't have
that nationalistic pride about be
ing an Aggie."
Over the years Keen has
slowly gained popularity for his
narrative songwriting. With
"The Live Album" (1988), and
"West Textures" (1989), Keen
has established himself as a
songwriter telling colorful sto
ries about everyday life.
"We have a pretty good rep
utation for putting on a pretty
decent show," he said. "Also,
my records seem to grow on
people. They hear them first,
you know, they may not be
completely knocked out when
they first them, but they always
seem to grow on people who
like them."
Keen said he enjoys listening
to country music these days,
and country music has definite
ly improved since the 80s, when
country artists tried to sing rock,
or anything else but country.
"I'm really happy country
music has come full circle," he
said. "I'm happy the twang is
back in country. It's more
about life and not just certain
aspects of life."
Keen, who now lives in Ban
dera, Texas, grew up in the
Lone Star state and started per
forming bluegrass music while
he was a student at A&M.
He was close friends with fel
low student Lyle Lovett, with
whom he often wrote songs.
One song the two wrote togeth
er, "The Front Porch Song," is
on Keen's "Live Album."
In the middle of the song.
Keen narrates one of his and
Lovett's escapades.
"We always looked forward
to Sunday on the front porch,
because, being across from the
Presbyterians, we'd crawl out at
about 11:30 Sunday morning in
our underwear, amongst four or
five hundred beer cans, strap on
a banjo and a guitar, and wait
for the Presbyterians," Keen
says in the song. "We were
waiting for them to get out of
church, so we could sing them a
little gospel music. Give them
something to talk about on their
way to Luby's."
One of the most common
misconceptions about Keen's
friendship with Lovett is that
they were roommates while in
college. Keen said Lovett actu-
aly lived down the street.
After Keen graduated, he
spent five years performing in
various clubs in Austin. He
then moved to Nashville, where
he soon grew frustrated with
the country music scene and
moved back to Texas.
"There is lousy Mexican food
here (in Nashville)," Keen said.
"I just prefer living in Texas.
I'm just a home boy, you know.
Anyone who listens to my mu
sic can tell that."
'Woza Albert!' addresses
themes of racial prejudice
By JULIE POLSTON
Feature Writer of THE BATTALION
'"Woza Albert!," a play provid
ing insight to life in South Africa
and life in general, will premiere
Nov. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. in 201
Memorial Student Center.
Set in South Africa, the play
follows the life of two black man
ual laborers who re-enact a vari
ety of situations dealing with their
desire for freedom and the reac
tions of the South African govern
ment.
The play deals with the racial,
social and political turmoil in
South Africa, and addresses the
themes of prejudice and discrimi
nation in the United States today.
All performances will be fol
lowed by discussions of the play,
apartheid and race relations in
both countries.
"Woza Albert!," written by
Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema
and Barney Simon, is sponsored
by the Texas A&M Department of
Multicultural Services and the
C.P. Time Players, with special
funding from the Arts Council of
Brazos Valley.
The play features Rapulana
Seiphemo, a young professional
actor who graduated from the
Federated Union of Black Arts
Academy.
Raised and educated in the
RICHARD S. JAMES/ The Battalion
Rapulana Seiphemo and Clinton
Sam star in “Woza Albert!”
black township of Soweto, Seiphe
mo's first-hand knowledge of life
under apartheid provides greater
authenticity to the production.
Texas A&M theater arts profes
sor Roger Schultz will direct the
production. Schultz spent the
summer 1991 in Johannesburg,
South Africa where he worked
with Mbongeni Ngema's Commit
ted Artists preparing for the film
ing of "Sarafina!"
Tickets for the production are
$5, and are available at the Rud
der Box Office or at the door.
Graduate student presents folk video
The music video "Buzzards of
Steel" will debut at Texas A&M
Friday at 8 p.m. in Rumours.
Presented and written by
Myles Mustoe, a Texas A&M
graduate student in geography,
the video is a contemporary folk
song.
The video was filmed in West
Texas and deals with oil field
workers and the boom-and-bust
nature of the oil business.
"Buzzards of Steel" was recent
ly added to the Governor's Texas
Film Commission Texas Music
Office Library.
After the presentation, Mustoe
will sing other folk songs about
Texas.
Mustoe said although he is a
teacher by trade, he enjoys play
ing folk music.
(luys and girls currently Freshmen through
Seniors in the 1992-1993 college year are
invited to audition for the Post Oak Mall's
Fashion Advisory Board. POM-FAB
is a voluntary organization designed to give
the brightest and best of Bryan/CollegeStation
the opportunity to expand their horizons by
acting as fashion models, spokespersons
and host/hostess at Post Oak Mall events.
Interested college students should meet the
requirements listed on the application, com
plete the application and return it along with
2 recommendations and a snapshot Xo the
mall office no later than November 30,1992.
Those candidates selected for the trial auditions
will be notified on, or before Thurs., Dec. 3,.
Trial auditions will be held on Sat., Dec. 5
at 11am and will be judged on a personal
interview, poise, personality and modeling
form. Finals will be held on Sat., Dec., 12 at 1pm.
Those candidates chosen to participate in the
finals will model fashions from Post Oak Mall.
Winners will be notified the day of the finals.
One lucky girl or guy will be selected to
serve as Mr. or Miss Post Oak Mall. Mr. or
Miss Post Oak Mall will act as an
ambassador at the Mall and during community
events. A prize package valued at $500.00
will also be awarded.
Post Oak Mall's
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TEXAS 6 BYPASS AT HWY 30