The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 01, 1994, Image 3

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    ptember 1,1994
iiirsday • September 1, 1994
Aggielife
The Battalion • Page 3
ges
ice Parten
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idents are occur-
iway 6 frontage
esult of convert-
ds to one-way
he highway last
.ccording to a re-
e Texas Depart-;
sportation. -
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ed from 92 acci-
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ig the same peri-
gear, which is a
jcrease.
ms, a Texas De-
Transportation
er, said the de-
i welcomed sur-
v that research
a 20-percent de-,;;
accident rate
ccidents, Pages
‘95
ipping Daisy performs at Stafford Opera House. Members are (from left): Wes Bergyren - guitar, Bryan Wakeland
ternative bands to play in Bryan-College Station.
drums, Tim Delaughter - vocals, Mark Pirro - bass. Tripping Daisy is one of the popular
File Photo TheBattauw
in time for com
es,” Donathan said,
ses for the facility
ee Center, PageS
HE
FALION
; an ad, phone
5-0569
DN
lief
)pinion editor
E, Photo editor
L Sports editor
?K, Aggielife editor
No, it’s not Seattle. And no, the
xt Nirvana or Pearl Jam is probably
it going to come from Bryan-College
-ation. But believe it or not, there is
blooming music scene in Bryan-Col-
ge Station. Whether it’s the country
rang of Clint Black or the psychedel-
alternative rock of Tripping Daisy,
g-time performers are making their
ay to the area. With country and al-
rnative rock leading the way, the
nes of the town are turning the
ene around.
Country/Western
y Christi Erwin
he Battalion
Most people are not surprised that
)untry performers attract large audi-
aces in Bryan-College Station.
McCrea Miller, senior agricultural
agineering major, said he enjoys the
mntry performers who frequent this
rea.
Miller said country artists come to
ryan-College Station because they
now there is a demand for their mu-
“The cool thing about country music
n College Station is that if you want
o see someone you like, they’ll proba-
ly play here at some time during the
r ear,” he said. “But if you want to see
3 earl Jam or Nine Inch Nails, there is
10 way they’ll come to this small
own.”
Sheila Walker, program supervisor
if College Station Parks and Recre-
ition, books entertainment for Wolf
■ ) en Creek Amphitheater. She said
luccessful rock bands are too expen
se to bring to this area.
“Big rock ‘n’ roll bands cost too
nuch,” she said. “Country music is
nore affordable.”
The large demand for country music
n Bryan-College Station is another
eason the amphitheater presents
;ountry concerts, she said.
Notable country performers set to
lerform at the amphitheater include
Iteve Warmer, Robert Earl Keen and
)avid Allen Coe.
The Texas Hall of Fame in Bryan
also finds that country music is in
ireat demand in Bryan-College Sta-
ion.
Derek Emola, manager of the Hall
if Fame, credits much of the Hall’s 15-
rear success to its live entertainment.
[ Earl Thomas Conley, Rick Trevino,
ioy Howdy and Tracy Byrd will be
lerforming at the Hall this year, he
aid.
“We are not a come-and-go bar,” he
aid. “We’re an Aggieland tradition.”
Brandon Overton, a sophomore
Agricultural engineering major, said
-he best concert he ever attended was
jvhen country singer Chris Ledoux
>layed at the Texas Hall of Fame.
“I was right there, face to face,”
area listen to country music.
“People feel comfortable listening to
us for long periods of time,” he said.
“They don’t have to keep changing the
station to hear music they like.”
Jason Hightower, promotions direc
tor of KORA 98 Country, said Bryan-
College Station simply has a good
market for country music.
“Country music is king,” he said.
“In other markets as well, the top sta
tions include country stations.”
ffltcrngtive Rock
By Jeremy Keddie
The Battalion
Stephanie Dube, Slacey ;
esser, Angela Neaves, Susii 1
Islam, lennifer Montiel,
oby, Tim Moog, Gina
I Erwin, lennifer Gressetl, ■
ta, Aja Henderson, Erin Hill
George Nasr, Elizabeth
Oakley
belle Oleson
during the fall and spring
cept University holidays and
rllege Station, TX 77840.
Donald Building, Texas A&M
s A&M University in the
n. Editorial offices are in
Newsroom phone number is
dorsement by The Battalion,
assified advertising, call SAT
e 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
>1 year and $50 per full yea'-
Chris Ledoux
Overton said. “I didn’t have to watch
brought a movie screen, and I had
Plenty of room to dance.”
Bobby Bell, program director of Ag-
|ie 96, said people like country be-
ause they can sing along and under-
itand the lyrics.
“Country music is what rock and
'oil was in the ‘60s,” he said. “It makes
i statement.”
As for music on the radio, the FM
lial is dominated by country. Bell
aid these stations are successful be
cause the majority of people in the
With what may apparently feel as a
domination of country-western music
in the Texas A&M community, it is
easy to overlook the alternative scene.
And the best way to stay informed
with this particular scene is reading
the kiosks on campus. The round bill
board structures, which can be found
in various locations on campus, list
and update artists who, frequently
come to town.
These artists are most commonly
featured at three establishments in
the area: Stafford Opera House, 3rd
Floor Cantina and Sweet Eugene’s
House of Java are in the local leading
edge of the alternative music scene.
Each establishment personifies its
own unique atmosphere, and artists
commonly play at more than one of the
clubs.
Many students have said that the
local alternative band scene seems
scarce and almost non-existent at
times. However, by regularly reading
local newsletters and contacting clubs,
one will notice there is in fact a scene
for alternative music in the area.
The lack of bands may be affected
by the attraction of the area. The own
er of Stafford Opera House, T.C.
Nguyen, said he notices bands tend to
move to Austin as they become more
successful.
“If you want to be in the center of
music, it’s the place to be,” he said.
Nguyen also attributed the difficul
ty of booking bands to the magnitude
of their popularity. He said as bands
become bigger, it is difficult to book
them in such a small place.
“By the time they get well-known
enough, they cannot play in a small
club,” Nguyen said.
Although Nguyen explained his dif
ficulties in attracting national acts,
bands such as Tripping Daisy and Gin
Blossoms have played Stafford Opera
House in the past.
Most importantly, Nguyen said,
Stafford attempts to attract crowds
from all different walks of life.
“It sometimes helps us and some
times hurts us,” Nguyen said.
Upcoming acts this fall will include
Jawbox, Lungfish, and Chris Duarte.
Functioning previously as a bootleg
bar and an attic for a furniture ware
house, 3rd Floor Cantina also tries to
cater to all types of music preferences.
William Bennet, managing partner
of 3rd Floor, said the music they fea
ture is eclectic, meaning all varieties,
although he tends to book alternative
music on Thursday nights.
“When booking bands, it’s not so
much the style of music, but rather
bands which are on the cutting edge,”
Bennet said.
The live music venue has featured
artists such as Bo Diddley, Jo Ely, and
Karan Chavis. Bennet said he is hop
ing to have at least one national act a
month, and plans on Cowboy Mouth
performing later this semester.
On the smaller scale, and an alco
hol-free establishment, Sweet Eu
gene’s House of Java provides a more
personal atmosphere with the artists.
The coffee house books open-mike acts
every other Tuesday and regularly
schedules music on Fridays and Satur
days.
“We’re just looking for unique acts,”
Aaron Brown said.
This weekend Sweet Eugene’s will
feature a belly-dancing troop, The Ara
bian Knights.
Rqp/Hip Hop
By Rob Clark
The Battalion
Despite the enormous popularity of
country and alternative music, the
booming sounds of rap are beginning
to be heard in Bryan-College Station.
Whether it be the gangsta rap of Ice
Cube and Snoop Doggy Dogg or the
jazzy vibes of Digable Planets and A
Tribe Called Quest, local record store
employees say rap is one of their
strongest sellers.
But staying power seems to be the
problem for rap albums.
Rob Tizard, assistant manager at
Marooned, said rap albums sell ex
tremely well at first but fade quickly.
“It goes like ‘bam’ at first,” he said.
“They sell a lot at the beginning when
they are released, then it just fades
and sits around for a while.”
Tizard said anticipation for Snoop
Doggy Dogg’s album “Doggystyle” was
enormous.
“Two months before it came out,
people were asking about it.” he said.
“And right when it came out, it did re
tire
that
Snoop Doggy Dogg
ally well. There was a huge rush to
buy it.”
Tizard said the two most popular
forms of rap are the hard-core gangsta
style and what is commonly classified
as alternative rap. This usually in
cludes groups like A Tribe Called
Quest, Digable Planets, De La Soul
and US3.
While rap does sell well, it is a rela
tively new force in music sales. David
Meadows, manager at Camelot Music,
said although there isn’t as much rap
to choose from as other genres, it still
holds it’s own.
“We have two racks of rap CDs and
six of country,” he said. “But we have
more sales out of those two racks of
rap than of any two racks of country.”
As for local rap performances, the
choices are few and far between. Ti
zard said past violence at rap shows
around the nation cause a fear of fu
ture incidents. Stepping up security
because of the threat of gang violence
can cause local clubs to not pursue
booking rappers, he said.
T.C. Nguyen, owner of Stafford
Opera House, said in the past he has
tried to book Public Enemy and Ar
rested Development, but they were too
big to bring to the area.
However, there have been selected
rap shows in the area in recent years.
MSC Town Hall brought Digital Un
derground to Deware Field House in
the spring of 1992, and Oakland rap
per Spice 1 performed at the Lulac
ballroom in Bryan in the fall of 1993.
Tcchno/Doncg
By Anas Ben-Musa
The Battalion
When it comes to techno/dance mu
sic. it seems A&M students still love
the oldies, especially ‘80s music.
Most people wouldn’t consider mu
sic from the 1980’s as old, but anyone
familiar with the techno/dance scene
realizes trends rise and fall quickly
with this music genre.
Yet, techno songs like Robin S with
“Love for Love,” Staxx with “Joy,” and
Crystal Waters’ single “100% Pure
Love” have done well in Bryan-College
Station.
Although
Tray Stout-
meyer, the
DJ for X-
Treme, said
that this
form of tech
no music is
really just
Top 40 mu
sic.
“It’s
music
sells,” Stout-
meyer said.
“It will be
around for a
long while.”
There is
nothing
wrong with
it, Stoutmey-
er added, but
techno music
in Dallas
and Houston
is an under
ground, pro
gressive style
of house mu
sic.
Stoutmey-
er said he
would love to
play this type
of techno, but
many stu
dents are not
familiar with
it and would
rather dance
to popular
groups like
Snap or Had-
daway.
But techno
has changed
drastically
over the last
few months,
said Victor
Martinez, an
employee of
Marooned Records.
“It used to be lots of disco samples,”
Martinez said. “Now it’s changed to
trance, spaced-out music.”
Martinez said one example of this
new trend is the latest release from
Anoesis. Watts Music Journal de
scribes Anoesis as an “acid trance
piece. . . sure to destroy what’s left of
your brain cells.”
Another development in techno is
some of the underground, progressive
house music that is filtering into the
area. Stoutmeyer said he had a sam
ple of “Tree Frog” by Hope for over a
year and after lyrics and synthesizer
chords were added, it became a very
popular dance tune.
Photo Illustration by Stew Milne/THE Battalion
By Margaret Claughton
The Battalion
Many local music merchants say
Bryan-College Station’s musical scope
is widening, and the top two genres
are still alternative rock and country
music.
Rob Tizard, assistant manager at
Marooned records, said alternative
music is their top seller and continues
to grow in popularity.
“We’re selling a lot of the newer al
ternative stuff — the punkish type
like Offspring and Green Day,” he'
said. “The dance stuff and Texas folk
like Robert Earl Keen sells too, but not
as much.”
David Meadows, of Camelot Music,
said alternative music is also one of
their top sellers but country continues
to sell well.
“It’s about 50-50 really,” he said.
“Both the alternative and country
scenes have been growing in the last
few years and have begun appealing to
more people.”
Kevin Bomar, of Airplay Digital
Recording, said rock and country are
hard to compare in local popularity be-
Todd Pipes, bass guitarist for Deep Blue Something
cause people respond to them in different
ways.
“Rock outsells country locally in
stores,” he said. “But when it comes to
live performances, more people will pay
to go see country. Country gets a bigger
turnout.”
Bomar said that although the local
music scene offers few venues for rock
performances, there are significantly
more local rock bands than country
bands.
“I think this is because rock crowds
like fresh material,” he said. “There is
always another band popping up with
their own style and writing their own
lyrics. Rock fans like that variety.”
Tizard said this trend toward origi
nality and variety is similar to what’s
happening in the overall music market.
“Recently there has been more inter
est in different style independents,” he
said. “Small independent labels are pro
ducing these new, out-of-the-ordinary
bands and competing with bigger la
bels.”
Billboard magazine’s album charts
show a significant number of small label
bands competing, and sometimes beat
ing out, larger label bands. However, no
one type of music seems to have the
market cornered, locally or otherwise.
Music lovers seem to be drifting to
wards more diverse interests rather
than remaining loyal to one music
genre.
Meadows said this may be one reason
for the new increased interest in sound
tracks, which offer a variety of music
and artists.
“Soundtracks didn’t sell this well in
the past,” he said. “Our top seller right
now is the “Forrest Gump” soundtrack
followed by “The Lion King.” I think
people like the diversity they offer.”
Andrea Schmidt at Musicland said
“Forrest Gump” is their best seller as
well, and agrees that the local market
appreciates diversity.
“In this town everybody likes every
thing,” she said. “There are so many dif
ferent types of people with different in
terests it is impossible to say they have
an overall favorite type of music.”