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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1996)
NE BR T( BUS! 8 a.m. Insert'^ / V/& 1986 Fo (409)69 '88 Dail tery, mt AtTenric able frc $$$. C Free Fi sector | dents e ent's in vices'. (40 £ 3 4861 Inten liable Profi Aggl whei Mob Win 846 Crui wor Woi able call Airll nee Ists Ca! Ala Eai Bo; nee 1 t sp Tve Page 6 • The Battalion • Tuesday, July 16,1996 Denton^based Baboon closes out regional tour in Bryan-College Station By April Towery The Battalion A n intense and ener getic live band, Ba boon, is preparing to close out its regional tour with Centro-Matic and UFOFU at Vertigo tomorrow night. The Denton-based alternative/punk band includes four University of North Texas former students. Lead vocalist Andrew Huffstetler said the band has just released a shorter CD with Grass Records. “The EP, which we titled The Numb EP, has six songs, two of which will be on our new album to be released in October,” Huffstetler said. Baboon’s first album, Face Down In Tur pentine, was released in October 1994. Baboon has been playing for almost five years. Guitarist Mike Rudnicki played in a band with Huffstetler during their college days at UNT, and the two auditioned and began playing with drummer Steve Bar nett and bassist Mark Hughes. The four guys have more than the band in common; they are also roommates. "We live together and just practice here in our house,” Huffstetler said. “We’re all really good friends.” Baboon just finished a month-long tour on the East Coast and will tour the West Coast later this year. Huffstetler said Baboon has had some great experiences during their performances. “We were able to play with the Toadies and Fugazi,” Huffstetler said. “I love playing live. We’re pretty intense record ed, but there’s just so much energy that goes into playing live.” Baboon’s former drummer, Will John son, has gone solo with his one-man band Centro-Matic. Johnson is excited about the upcoming show at Vertigo. “Baboon is one of my favorite bands,” Johnson said. Johnson, a senior English major at UNT, said he had no grand vision of playing by himself — it just sort of happened. “Frankly, I wanted to start a band of my own,” Johnson said. “I was so nervous playing by myself,” Johnson said. “I need ed to build confidence. When you have a band be hind you, it’s not all your fault. You have backup. “But then the David Koresh and Nazi came out in me and I just wanted to do it all myself.” Johnson records himself playing drums and bass, then sings and plays electric guitar live onstage. John son said it’s a sight to see. “I do a lot of jumps and kicks,” he said. “It’s the 13-year-old arena rock, I guess. It’s kind of pop in mu sic, and punk in approach.” Although Johnson plans to earn a master’s de way that sounded.” Centro-Matic released a 7-inch EP, The Transistor EP, in May. Johnson hopes to release a full-length album by the end of next year. In addition to playing all the instru ments, Johnson said he also writes all his songs. “Occasionally I have been known to do a Prince cover,” he said. “Right now I’m work ing on AC/DC’s ‘Back In Black’, but most of the time I like to play my own stuff.” Besides Johnson’s obsession for col lecting snow globes, he said he has a fas cination with playing in bizarre places. “I played at ‘This Sud’s For You’ Laundromat,” Johnson said, “but I have high hopes to play at a gas station someday.” Johnson said the quality of his audience, not the size, is what is important. “I’d rather i have 20 peo ple who are intent on lis tening than 400 who really don’t care,” he said. Johnson said be ing comfortable with playing alone was not automatic. “Six or seven songs into my first show, I was right in the middle of a jump when my guitar just totally went out,” he said. “I took my guitar off gree, he said he does Will Johnson of Centro-Matic want to continue a ca reer in music. “The good thing about a one-piece band is that there’s no internal tensions or possi bility of the band breaking up,” he said. “I definitely want to pursue music in the fu ture. There’s something appealing about touring in a Honda Civic. I just liked the and just finished the song a capella. That’s when I knew I could get comfortable with this and not panic. It re ally helped me to gain confidence.” Johnson believes the upcoming show will be a blessing for any rock-and-roll enthusiast. “I love to sing melody and approach my songs from all angles,” he said. “It’s therapy.” Connick Jr.’s new funk style fails with Star Turtle >1. 102, By Jeffrey Cranor The Battalion There is good news and bad news. The good news is Harry Connick Jr.’s newest album, Star Turtle, is out. The bad news is he is playing funk-rock style similar to his last album, She, but it sounds worse. As he did in She, Connick uses a five- piece accompaniment instead of his big band. But since aban doning the crooner sound that made him famous, Connick has produced two marginal albums that walk the ■■■■■i line between medioc rity and strangeness. Four of the 15 songs on the new album are entitled “Star Turtle” and are as odd as their name suggests. And many of the other songs are hardly memorable. “Hear Me in the Harmony,” his first release from Star Tur tle, is his best song on the al bum. Using his Sinatra-like voice and outstanding piano melodies for which he has been historically acclaimed, Connick teases listeners with “Hear Me,” although he still cannot quite satisfy them. Connick grew up in New Or leans and began as an entertain er at age five when he jumped onto the stage at a blues club with his father and played the piano. Audiences have given their approval ever since. His first eight albums were a pastiche of jazzy piano solos, big band sounds and New Orleans cabaret tunes. His voice and the spirit of his band made nearly all of his earlier songs enjoyable. Connick’s lounge singer voice found room to prosper in the 1980s and 1990s, despite a i demand for big band music. But Connick’s newfound rock seems to be more represetf tation of the band and less of h voice. And although the band:; good, it should not overpower: Connick’s magical voice asi does in most of Star Turtle. Star Turtle is not one of Con! n Album Review Harry Connick Jr. lond nick’s better works — the mu sic and lyrics are simple, ani the rhythms are highly repeti tive — but it is not totally irre deemable. One still cannot hel; but enjoy Connick’s swinging grooves, no matter how bask His band is much more alive than in She, and the back ground vocals and hand-clap ping are reminiscent of his bip band albums. Connick also incorporates techniques of 1970s rock, jazz or gans and wailing electric guita: solos, which are alien to any o; Connick’s other music. In “Rea: Me,” the soft jazz organ help: move the song along and gives ii a lighthearted feel. The song “Boozehound starts with a nice electric gm tar solo, but the mood is quick ly ruined when the sound mu tates into a harsh screech anc bad lyrics. This exploration into new mu sical styles proves to be fruitless after two albums. But for young talent like Connick, a re turn to glory is not impossible, may, in fact, be inevitable. WASHir>— fight witMl ced a sui— .notions tK theNc= ■om Cuban The qu hether ould ha-«i». sue for « is doing; Cuba cd eized by egime a fit evolution ay, Clin "t he right hen imp « oonth mo i ny legal ; xtend th e ntervals ii America’ the thre igh of rel: ti 1* e* A* ■ 'T' =KvtticKar \ OIL, LUBE & TUNE 10 MINUTE OIL CHANGE To Post Oak Cinema with full service oil change. Located on Harvey Rd. (Across From Post Oak Mall) ^ Not combined with any other offer. Exp. 8/31/96 ANP Defensive Driving with a Punch (line)! TA<? TT (And pay only $25 with this coupon) USA Training Company, Inc. Aggie owned and operated DEFENSIVE DRIVING ... 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