TYLES
/
Tuesday, March 23,1993
The Battalion
Page 3
Austin singer pays tribute to classic songs
Griffith brings new grace to folk heroes 9 work
Music Review
By JENNY MAGEE
The Battalion
Nanci Griffith
"Other Voices/ Other Rooms"
Electra Records
Nanci Griffith, who has long graced the
folk music genre with her unique stories and
beautiful voice, pays tribute to her mentors
with her new album "Other Voices/Other
Rooms."
The Austin native has put together an al
bum of 17 songs written by legendary folk
artists such as Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan,
Kate Wolf and others. The album's title is tak
en from Truman Capote's first novel, pub
lished in 1948. The liner notes explain, "The
novel was a product of a time of new voices in
literature and coincided with a rebirth of in
terest in folk music with an added twist of fo
cus on the singer/songwriter."
This album may seem a little off the beaten
path of Griffith's previous albums, such as
"Storms," "Little Love Affairs" and "Poet in
My Window," that were so heavily depen
dent on her song-writing ability. While Grif
fith has no original compositions on this al
bum, her respect and love for the musicians
who helped define folk music and inspire Grif
fith's work is so complete that the album be
comes a celebration of folk music in general.
Each song is a chapter in the life of folk mu
sic, defined by its original artist and the story
that it tells.
Nanci Griffith holds a copy of the Truman Capote novel that gave her the title of her new album.
Several songs do stand out; a peppy version
of Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" combines
Griffith's clear country twang with Guy
Clark's unmistakable accompaniment.
Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather"
and "Morning Song for Sally," written by Jer
ry Jeff Walker, are examples of how Griffith's
distinctive voice gives a second life to this col
lection of songs.
"Other Voices/Other Rooms" by-passes the
fault of imitation that many artists fall into
when producing remakes. Griffith is not try
ing to sing these songs for her own personal
benefit, but to pay tribute to the people whom
she respects. Such motives are the only real
reason that musicians should do remakes.
The most memorable single on the album is
"Wimoweh" which is a collaboration between
Griffith, the Indigo Girls, Kennedy-Rose, John
Prine, John Gorka and Dave Mallet. Producer
Jim Rooney even makes a vocal appearance.
The song's up-beat, happy-go-lucky feeling is
really in tune with the theme of the album
bringing together folk artists in an effort to
commemorate the hard work and love of mu
sic these musicians have given to the folk mu
sic industry.
Griffith sums it up best in her liner notes by
saying, "It was an incredible honor to be in
the company of my heroes of such enormous
talent whose mutual love of this music gave
this project the heart and wings to fly."
This album is an outstanding accomplish
ment by traditional standards and as a new
work. If you are just beginning to cultivate an
appreciation for folk music, Griffith's "Other
Voices/Other Rooms" is the perfect place to
start.
Fiery Fonda packs a wallop as
killer in 'Point of No Return'
Film Review
By JENNY MAGEE
The Battalion
"Point of No Return"
Starring Bridget Fonda,
Gabriel Byrne and Der-
mot Mulroney
Directed by John Badham
Rated R
Playing at Post Oak III
The fiery heroine of "Point of
No Return," Maggie (Bridget Fon
da), has mood swings that are
governed by a force much more
owerful than the worst case of
MS could produce. She is fierce,
savage, and has no qualms about
blowing various body parts into a
million little pieces. Fonda's Mag
gie without a doubt outshines the
rest of the cast. She is alluring to
observe, not only because her
character is so savage, but also be
cause she is the next branch of the
first-class wimps.
Based on the French film "La
Femme Nikita," this American
version begins with Maggie and
an assortment of her drug buddies
rampaging through the streets of
Washington, D.C. searching for
someone to rob.
An episode at a convenience
store leaves the store owner and
all of Maggie's drug friends dead.
In addition a cop becomes a vic
tim to the gun that Maggie just
happens to find in her hand. As a
result she is tried, sentenced, and
executed.
But, in the next scene Maggie
wakes up in the stark white room
of a "secret" government camp.
Her execution was faked, and
Maggie is pretty much worm food
as far as everyone but this secret
assassination bureau is concerned.
Maggie is schooled in killing
strategies as well as personal style
and grace, all in the name of
knocking off individuals who dare
to mess with U. S. foreign policies.
Her first assignment brings her
She (Bridget Fonda) is fierce, savage, and has
no qualms about blowing various body parts
into a million little pieces.
Fonda family tree, following in the
footsteps of her grandfather, Hen
ry Fonda, father, Peter Fonda, and
aunt, Jane Fonda.
Now, on the opposite end of the
spectrum, Maggie s lover J.P. (Der-
mot Mulroney) is the posterboy
for passivity. Besides being a self-
proclaimed graduate of the Keanu
Reeves school of voice training,
Mulroney gives a wimpy perfor
mance of a wimpy character that
all in all goes perfectly with his
whiny voice. It is wonderful to
see a film that utilizes such a
strong female character because
the movie industry has been stark
ly void of such characters of late.
However, the true spirit of femi
nism does not demand that all the
male characters have to become
to Venice Beach, California where
she meets and starts a relationship
with J.R the photographer (Der-
mot Mulroney). Thus the film
runs smack-dab into the "Taming
of the Shrew" theme: Maggie, the
once bitter and vengeful assassin
softened by love, is ready to throw
off her life as a killer. The only
problem is that death is her only
exit as far as the secret govern
ment agency is concerned.
"Point of No Return" is an en
tertaining film. The storyline is
vigorous; it contains a good
amount of violence, but also there
is just a lot of plot action. The film
may lack consistent acting quality,
save Fonda's performance, but it
certainly does not drag.
One man
and his
mandolin
Indian shapes
Western instrument
to Eastern music
By SHASHIDHAR C.N.
Tlte Battalion
Pioneering Indian musician U. Srinivas
will perform in College Station this Fri
day night at A&M United Methodist
Church.
Srinivas is the first artist to play Carnat
ic (South Indian) music on the mandolin.
Unlike Indian instruments such as the
sitar and veena, the mandolin is not de
signed for Indian music, and is not com
patible like the violin. Like the sitar and
veena, the mandolin is a pluck instru
ment, a stringed instrument played with
out a bow, but it lacks the resonance and
continuity that are vital to Indian music.
The notes on the mandolin are flat and
often unhelpful for the Indian style, be
cause in Western music the emphasis is
on the contrast of notes with neighboring
ones.
The Carnatic style emphasizes smooth
transitions and the continuous flow of
one note to another.
Although his tryst with the mandolin
started out as an experiment, it is now
widely acclaimed as a revolution in South
Indian classical music. Rather than chang
ing the Carnatic style, he makes the in
strument compatible to the style, working
in his own way to bridge the gap between
East and West.
Born in 1969 in a small town in South
India, Srinivas started learning South In
dian classical music at age four. He gave
his first public performance on the man
dolin at age 11. At age 14, he performed
at the Jazz Fest 1983 in Germany and then
performed an encore on a live national
telecast.
Srinivas has received honors and
awards at state, national and international
levels, and has performed all over the
world, including a tour of the United
States and Canada in 1987.
Srinivas will perform this Friday at
A&M United Methodrst-Chtirch. 'The'
performance js^ponsored by the Texas
A&M chapter of the Society for Promo
tion of Indian Classical Music and Cul
ture Amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY), a
non-profit organization active in sponsor
ing concerts by renowned and upcoming
Indian artists.
The program is supported in part by
the Arts Council of Brazos Valley (ACBV)
and the MSC Jordan Institute for Interna
tional Awareness. Indian-style snacks
will be available at the venue for pur
chase.
Srinivas
BUSINESS
Job Interviewing
M/W, April 5, 7, 12, 14
6:30-8pm
$12/student $ 17/nonstudent
( UNIVERSITY PLUS WORKSHOPS 1
Int'l Bus. Success
Thurs, March 25, April 1
6- 8pm
$ 10/student $ 15/nonstudent
COMPUTERS
Intro to Macintosh
Computers
Sat. April 3
9-12am
$ 15/student $20/nonstudent
IntrotoDOS/IBMPC
MWM, March 22. 24, 29
7- 9pm
$ 15/student $20/nonstudent
WordPerfect 5.1
T/Th, March 30 - April 15
7-9pm
$45/student $50/nonstudent
Lotus 12 3
M/W, March 29 - April 14
7-9pm
$45/student $50/nonstudent
SELF HELP
Attaining Your Goals
Thurs. April 1, 8, 15, 22
7:30-9pm , ,
$12/student $ 17/nonstudent
CPR
M/W, April 12 & 14
6-10pm
$ 18/student $23/nonstudent
First Aid
T/Th, March 30, April 1, 6, 8
6-8pm
$ 18/student $23/nonstudent
Register Now in the University PLUS Craft Center
Located in the MSC Basement
845-1631
SPECIAL INTEREST
B&W Darkroom
Tues. March 30, April 6, 13
6- 9pm
$25/student $30/nonstudent
Video Camcorder
Techniques
Thurs. April 1, 8, 15, 22
7- 9pm
$15/student $20/nonstudent
International Wines
Wed. March 31, April 7, 14. 21
7-8:30pm
$25/student $30/nonstudent
Matting & Framing
Wed. March 31, April 7, 14
6- 8pm
$25/student $30/nonstudent
Bike Maintenance
Tues. March 30, April 6, 13, 20
7:30-9:30pm
$20/student $25/nonstudent
Beginning Guitar
Thurs. March 25 - May 6
7- 8:30pm
$40/student $45/nonstudent
DANCE
Adv C&W Dance
Wed. March24, 31, April 7,14, 21
6-7; 15pm
$20/student $25/nonstudent
Ballroom Dancing
Tues. March 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20
7:15-8:30pm
$ 18/student $23/nonstudent
Jitterbug
Wed. March 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21
7:30-8:45pm
$20/student $25/nonstudent
LANGUAGES
Japanese
M/W, March 29 - May 5
6:30-8pm
$35/student $40/nonstudent
Spanish I
T/Th, March 23 - April 29
6:30-8pm
$35/student $40/nonstudent
Spanish II
T/Th. March 23 - April 29
8-9:30pm
$35/student $40/nonstudent
English as a 2nd
Language (ESL)
T/Th, March 23 - April 29
6:30-8pm
$35/student $40/nonstudent
Sign Language II
T/Th, March 30 - April 29
6-8pm
$35/student $40/nonstudent
Call us at 845-1631 for more info
on classes or schedules.
ARTS & CRAFTS
Stained Glass
Thurs. March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 22
6-9pm
$30/student $35/nonstudent
Potpourri
Tues. March 23
6-8pm
$12/student $ 17/nonstudent
Painting II
Thurs. March 25 - April 22
6-9pm
$30/student $35/nonstudent
Drawing li
Tues. March 23 - April 20
6-8pm
$20/student $25/nonstudent
POTTERY
Beg. Pottery
Thurs. March 25 - April 29
5- 7pm or 7:30-9:30pm
$30/student $35/nonstudent
Pottery Glazing and
Deco Techniques
Tues. March 30 - May 4
l-3pmpm
$35/student $40/nonstudent
WOODWORKS
Woodworking I
M/W, March 22,24, 29, 31
6- 9pm
$30 / student $35 /nonstudent
Woodworking II
M/W, April 5, 7, 12, 14
6-9pm
$30/student $35/nonstudent
Adv. Woodworking
Sun. March 28, April 4, 18, 2£>
6-8pm
$30/student $35/nonstudent