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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1996)
January 19,19% The Battalion [tiday 'muary 19, 1996 Aggielife Page 3 EFS {entertainment GLANCE d services fair today s Department of Food ig a job fair today from in 201 MSC. s and high school stir n jobs ranging from nu- are invited to attend, loitld bring Social Se- I photo identification, ill be available to con- Tangements or freshman Morton, a Texas A&M ' major from Pinehurst, . 18 in an automobile s 19 years old. ngements for Morton led lay Kline Funeral >11, Texas. ;y conference Saturday psychology graduate xchange current re- ; and expertise at a >artment miniconfer- :e is open to the public ic fifth floor of Rudder i. to 4 p.m. in, an A&M psycholo- speak at 9 a.m. nee is sponsored by Psychology Student ic Department of Ed- ology and the Office lies. m Physical It of testing emanating from the e A&M campus this ■un shots or explo- I Plant spokesperson installed equipment ise valve opens to re- sure, producing a stac- magnified by echoes ay buildings. Plant spokesperson ould not be alarmed anger. >T, Night News Editor ielife Editor , Sports Editor dio Editor «iich, Graphics Editor saphics Editor lanis, Pamela Benson, nna Henry, Lisa |ohn- n, Wes Swift, Angela : Rachel Barry, Kristina istin Deluca, Thomas ny Hubble, |ohn LeBas, Lisa Nance, Stephanie es Swift Baxter, Rob Clark, Erin m, Elaine Mejia, Chris ildez & Kieran Watson any Angkriwan, Amy e, Cory Willis & Evan Al-Mubarak, Michele ison le, Ed Goodwin, |ohn ird & Gerado Quezada zay, Mandy Cater, Am- ixas A&M University in nt of Journalism, ihone: 845-3313; Fax: or endorsement by The ng, call 845-2696. For a in 015 Reed McDon- riday. Fax: 845-2678. I student to pick up a sin- ster, $40 per school year rer or American Express, h Friday during the fall the summer sessions A&M University. maid Building, Texas % > ils Lth one Jackson Presley and Jackson end marriage LOS ANGELES (AP) — They said itwouldn't last, and they were right: lisa Marie Presley has filed for di- rorcefrom Michael Jackson. Presley cited irreconcilable differ ences, her publicist, Paul Bloch, said today. He said he did nof know when or where the filing was made. The pop superstar and the only child of the late Elvis Presley were married in the Dominican Re public on May 26, 1994. It was the second marriage for Ms, Presley, 27, and the first for the 37-year- old jackson. Last year, the couple gave a much- hyped prime time joint inter view to ABC's Diane Sawyer, in which they claimed to be deeply in love and try ing to have a child. "Do we have sex?” Presley asked during the interview. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" They were asked about rumors their marriage was a publicity stunt designed to give Jackson, who had faced allegations of child molesta tion, legitimacy. "Like we're faking this?" Jack- son asked. His wife added, "How can you fake this 24 hours a day — sleeping with somebody, waking up with somebody? I'm not going to marry somebody for any reason other than the fact that I fall in love with them?" Ms. Presley's first marriage, to musician Danny Keough, entled in divorce after six years. They have two children. lackson became the target of a child molestation investigation in August 1993 after a then-13-year- old boy claimed Jackson had sex with him. lackson later reached a multi million dollar, out-of-court settle- , ment with the boy. No charges were ever filed. Donahue calls it quits after 29 years NEW YORK (AP) — Phil Don ahue, who pioneered the audi ence-and issue-driven talk show, only to see his ratings yield to lowbrow imitators and trashy top ics, is calling it quits. Donahue, a Peabody and 20- lime national Emmy Award win ner seen in more than 45 coun tries, will continue through the end of this season, his syndicator, Multimedia Entertainment Inc., announced Wednesday. "Phil Donahue essentially started this company and began an entire industry in daytime syn dication," said Multimedia Presi dent Bob Turner. "He was the first to intimately involve his stu dio and home audiences." A nine-time Emmy winner as talk TV's outstanding host, Don ahue, who turned 60 last month, continue to work on TV spe cials and new projects in broad casting and cable, Turner said. A spokesman for the show said Donahue was taping a program late Wednesday afternoon and would not be available for interviews. Donahue, which marked its 25th anniversary in 1992, began on Nov. 6, 1967, in Dayton, Ohio, where the then-brown-haired TV personality intended to have a standard, couch-and-desk format. The program moved to nation al syndication and the top of the ratings — until a newcomer named Oprah Winfrey debuted in Ihe 1986-87 season and knocked him out of first place. While Donahue's imitators turned to trashy, sensationalistic themes, he stuck to the high road. Nevertheless, "Donahue" ratings began slipping three years ago. The show's doom was sealed in August, when New York City's WNBC-TV declined to renew it for this fall's season, and no other New York station picked it up — depriving it of 7 1/2 percent of the nation's viewers. Local Talent HALF-LIFE focuses on impressing college crowds with unique attitude, musical style By John LeBas The Battalion L et’s face it — some bands just don’t like playing in College Station. But rock band HALF-LIFE loves per forming here — if the audience is of a certain breed. Bassist Scott Neeman, a junior math ematics major, said the band enjoys playing for an open-minded crowd. “I like playing for the people who come to our shows to listen to music more than for those who just come to drink,” he said. Interested more in artistic expression than drunken revelry on or off stage, HALF-LIFE is generating local support with its musical approach. With bands such as Pond, James, Ride and the Charlatans U.K. cited as major influences, FLALF-LIFE weaves a “wash” of sound, guitarist and vocalist Scott Tomhave said. Tomhave, a sophomore construction science major, teamed up last spring with Neeman and Rob Oldfather, a ju nior environmental design major. Drummer Adrian Crisantes, a sopho more horticulture major, joined the group in August. Each member brings to the band various musical passions, including heavy rock, indie and British music. These influences shape a style charac terized by heavy groove and a “dense” guitar sound. “We’re still evolving,” Neeman said. “When I think back to what we played our first show, I can’t believe it because we have changed so much. There’s no telling where we’re going to go. I would n’t mind putting out an experimental noise album.” HALF-LIFE first performed in Col lege Station at the beginning of last se mester. Although the members have re covered from their initial anxiety, they said they are still working on “playing the crowd.” “The crowd here is really weird,” Tomhave said. “They don’t get into stuff as well as in places like Denton and Austin. “Here, it’s like if you’re not country or pop or a cover band, nobody really pays attention,” he said. “But I don’t want to sound down on the crowd, because the crowd is what makes a band.” Accepting the local crowd’s tastes has helped solidify HALF-LIFE’s desire to develop its own musical direction. While what this means musically is still unde termined, Neeman said the band will intensify its shows this semester. With new equipment and plans to play in Austin and Denton, HALF- LIFE’s primary goal is to find success outside of College Station. Oldfather said they hope to develop and improve their songwriting tech- HALF-LIFE niques as well. “I’d like to make a song where everything conveys the same feel ings,” Oldfather said. The group is currently producing its first tape, scheduled for release this spring. The growing local following has been requesting a tape since the first show, Neeman said. But HALF-LIFE isn’t looking to get on a record label this semester. They are instead driven by the satisfaction of playing their music for as many people that will listen. “Sometimes when you’re playing a show, you get chills because you know that you’re playing really awesome,” Dave House, The Battalion Tomhave said. The members said they also draw in spiration and support from their girl friends, families and each other. Musical integrity notwithstanding, Neeman said he aims to impress. “Basically, I just want the crowd to walk away and say, ‘Wow, they were better than most opening bands I’ve seen,”’ he said. If not, that’s fine, too. “We understand that not everyone’s going to like us, and that’s cool,” he said. After all, Crisantes said, the impor tant thing is to “have some fun, enjoy yourself and make music.” 4D2 focuses on original live performances By Tab Dougherty The Battalion 4 D2 is not a dominoes game. No, 4D2 is the name of one of College Station’s newest local bands. Influences like Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Beatles and jazz and soul backgrounds have given the band a recipe for success, especially when it comes to live music. Brandon Elam, the band’s lead guitarist, said playing music inspires him. “When you’re making music and the crowd likes it ... to me there is no other feeling,” he said. A lot of hard work goes into making 4D2 possible. Each member has devoted many years to learning his instrument. In addition, all of the equip ment for each performance is provided by the members, in cluding the lights, micro phones and amplifiers. “We like it that way,” Elam said. “We call all the shots.” Craig Hones, drummer of 4D2, said no two crowds are ever the same. “It depends where we are,” he said. The band members say they enjoy playing in a small col lege town. Amy Browning, Thl Battalion 4D2 “Competition wise, it’s kind of easy,” Elam said. Shane Everett, the band’s lead singer, said a good crowd inspires the band members during their performances. “Once a crowd gets into it, man, we really start rocking,” he said. “That’s the main thing for me. It’s just a lot of fun.” Thomas Champaigne, the band’s bassist, said small towns give bands a better chance at success. “That’s the one thing I like about it — it gives you more opportu nity in this town than you would [have] in a bigger city,” he said. The band mem bers say “fun” is the perfect word to describe the music they play. The music the band plays ranges from Blues Traveller and Dave Matthew’s Band to AC/DC and Pearl Jam. Most of their songs are covers with some original works. The members said some fans refuse to believe their songs are original because they sound like they would be on the radio. Dave Pape, the rhythm gui tarist and harmonica player, said even some of the cover songs they perform have an original touch. “The coolest thing about when we do cover songs is that we don’t cover them straight off the album,” Pape said. “Each one of us adds his own flair to it.” Elam said one of the things that makes the band unique is they do not cover the “hard stuff that a lot of people do.” “We do a lot of songs with finesse like Dave Matthew’s Band and Blues Traveller,” Elam said. As nice as it may seem, Pape said there are some weird situ ations that come with the terri tory, such as groping fans and failing equipment. "Once a crowd gets into it, man, we really start rocking." — Shane Everett lead singer of4D2 “A girl threw her shirt at me,” he said. Later, he washed the shirt and gave it to his fiancee. “All the weird stuff happens to me,” Pape said. Pape even had his tooth chipped from a drunken fan on stage. The band members said they would rather have a live ly audience than a listless one and they gladly put up with the risks that come with play ing live shows. Some may wonder about the mystery behind the band’s name, but the way they got it is simple. “It’s my fault,” Everett said. “Our storage shed is number 42, and we’re building D.” CraftMasters’ Mall 1857 Briarcrest Drive • Bryan Over 170 Handcrafted Items Stained Glass • Porcelain Dolls * Baby Items ^ | • Collectibles Register Now For Stained Glass, Tole Painting, Rubber Stamp, and T-Shirt Painting Classes jj Local - Out of Town - Out of State Artists • Booths Available For Rental ^ Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. r l /AO r 7/Ai '* Stop by and get that perfect gift for any occasion. 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