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Friday • September 13, 1996
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Michele Solberg takes the suit and tie out
of her booking agency and manages to
make it big in the world of corporate rock.
By Aaron Mrier
The Battalion
nile phoning the Big Threat Booking
Agency, a caller may not know that behind
the quiet, breathy voice on the other end of
dine lies a powerful singing voice produced by
Austin music scene.
Michele Solberg, a musician from Austin,
mg with her friend Nikki Duncan, run Big
reat Booking. Solberg is the agency’s sole
ent, and she answers the agency’s phone from
rhome in Austin.
Tonight, Solberg has booked herself to play at
eet Eugene’s House of Java.
Press TnilThe 24-year-old graduate of the University of Texas
that the firted her music career in Austin music clubs.
Solberg said that when she started school, she
nt to every open mic night she could. At these
ssions, she developed her own musical style,
lichhas been compared to Tori Amos anci Poe.
Solberg said the diverse music scene of Austin
ted her from her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M.
Solberg released her first album while attending UT.
Solberg said juggling school and a budding
iusic career was stressful, but now, her music
s & Lows| reerisher P rimar y g° al -
Solberg said the success of women such
erdav’sHiei Alanis Morrisette and Melissa
heridge comes as no surprise to her.
"They have been there since the
iginning,” Solberg said. “I think
me record companies see them
ly as novelties.”
Once, while discussing a
ossible contract with a
cord label, the executives
92°F
erdav’s Lffi
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y’s Expeclft
Solberg said.
Solberg said her music was well accepted in New
York, where she gave at least one performance a week.
Solberg said she does not imagine herself as an
“urban girl,” but the people of New York made an
impression on her.
“They are so open to new things there,” Solberg
said. “So many people are coming in and out of the
city everyday bringing and taking different ideas
and music.”
Solberg said she enjoys being home and working
on her music.
The rock/folk artist has gained a large following
in Austin, and her fans have placed her near the top
at the Austin Music Awards. The awards show is the
opening night of the South by Southwest music fes
tival, anci Solberg has repeatedly been chosen by her
fans as one of their favorites.
Two years ago, her debut effort Shrill won in the
Best Tape category, which is generally given to new
artists who do not have the money to produce an
album. Last year, she placed in the top 10 of Best
Female Vocals, Best Singer-Songwriter and Album of
the Year.
Solberg said she appreciates her fans’ support.
For now, Solberg said her largest
accomplishment is that she sup
ports herself financially
through her music.
She said she looks for
ward to performing
with her band and
going to new places
and experiencing
new things.
esy
ofTAMSC
oldSolberg they already had
iy women musicians
in fte roster.
Solberg said she found
Mr comments an odd
stimonial to the progress
omen have made over
)Ut
eyears.
Solberg has performed
le other time in College
alien, early this summer.
I lerest of her summer was
ent in New York City,
tere she played at various
|ffee shops.
She said she loved the city
tits acceptance of people
gardless of race, though
e was disgusted by the
tal disregard people had
)t one another.
I “The same bum lived on
I'doorstep for two months
Id no one did a thing,”
Photo courtesy of Craig Hanna
Sam Pulley, Lara Abrams and Craig Hanna of Throw Away People
Don’t trash the band
By Shea Wiggins
The Battalion
S tevie Ray Vaughn, Aretha Franklin and the bass
player from Live have something in common.
Their influences have brought three A&M stu
dents together to make unique music.
Throw Away People, a College Station band, start
ed playing February 1996.
Lead singer Craig Hanna, a senior geography
major, said Throw Away People is a Texas Blues band.
“We have molded blues, jazz and funk together to
make a high-energy, unique sound,” Hanna said.
“We are eclectic yet intense.”
Hanna contacted friend and bass player Lara
Abrams, a junior environmental design major, and
drummer Sam Pulley, a junior mechanical engineer
ing major, in January.
“We talked a long time about starting a band,”
Pulley said. “But it was like the dating game.
“We had to get from behind the curtain and
play with each other to realize the potential of
our music.”
Hanna said each member contributes to the
band’s musical entity.
“Our songwriting and style are a group effort,”
Hanna said. “Sam’s background is in jazz, and Lara
provides the funky side of the music. The contem
porary funk, rock ’n’ roll and jazzy sides of the
music are easy for our generation’s ears to relate to.
Then I try to sneak the blues into this contempo
rary mold.”
The band members said they experienced music
at an early age.
“Craig’s father played old-school blues on the
trumpet,” Pulley said. “I submerged myself into soul
bands and was inspired to play my instrument when
I met the drummer for Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
“Lara listened to KISS when she was younger and
pretended she was a bass player.”
Abrams said she is comfortable being the only
woman in the band.
“I like to work with these guys,” Abrams said.
“White Zombie and Smashing Pumpkins started the
fad of girl bass guitar players. If we were an alterna
tive band I would not feel as special, but in this line
of music I do.”
Hanna said the name of the band is symbolic.
“I read an article in a Houston paper about a
homeless decorated veteran from Vietnam that
was murdered by three teenagers,” Hanna said. “It
struck me that here was a guy down on his luck,
like we all are sometimes, and he was not only
overlooked but eventually killed by society. When I
named the band Throw Away People, it was for
those people like this, who seem to be easily for
gotten by us all.”
Pulley said these themes are prevalent in
their music.
“We center on people in hard times, or hard rela
tionships,” Pulley said. “In this sense we are contem
porary, in that kids our age can relate, and we can
help soothe the pains of young life.”
Hanna said some of their songs are created in
College Station hangouts.
“I wrote one song, Java House Jive, in Sweet
Eugene’s,” Hanna said. “Other songs are inspired
from people we have actually met or had relation
ships with in College Station.”
Abrams said their music is different at each
performance.
“We take a Jimi Hendrix approach, in that we jam
each time we play,” Abrams said. “All songs are
grounded in our moods that day and what we are
thinking about. This leaves each song open to con
stant new interpretation.”
The band has played at bars such as Northgate
Cafe, and will play at the Brazos Brewing Company
Saturday night.
Hanna said the band enjoys playing in
College Station.
“We have played in Houston on the Richmond
Strip,” Hanna said. “One time we played for a biker
benefit to raise money for a guy who fell off of his
Harley. We were pilgrims in an unholy land, but it
was a fun experience.
“Nevertheless, we like to play in familiar territory.”
The band members said they hope to play at larg
er bars. They also hope to play the Austin and Dallas
musical circuits.
Pulley said he enjoys playing for fellow students.
“Being able to play and pay tribute to our influ
ences is an honor and pleasure in itself,” Pulley said.
“The best reward is when students and friends
can sit back, sip on a beer and enjoy what we do.”
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Bulletproof
Starring Adam Sandler,
Damon Wayans
Directed by Ernest Dickerson
Rated R
Playing at Hollywood 16
A nother Adam Sandler
movie, another suicide —
it’s all the same.
In this low-budget action film,
Sandler portrays Archie Moses,
partner in crime with Rock Keats
(Damon Wayans).
Archie and Rock have been
pulling off petty car thefts for a
year, and when Archie gets the
chance to work with a major
drug dealer, he wants to involve
Rock, because he knows his
friend needs the money.
Everything seems fine until
Archie discovers his long-time
Damon Wayans
e vx^7
pal is an undercover cop.
At this point, things begin to
heat up, bullets start to fly, and
Archie and Rock take the audi
ence on a round-trip journey
through confusion.
Sandler, better known for his
“Saturday Night Live” characters,
puts in a few strategic one-liners
and some good-willed physical
comedy, but his character is not
well-rounded enough for people
to care whether he lives or dies.
Sandler, without effort, con
stantly upstages Wayans through
out the film.
As an undercover cop who
gets his cover revealed, Wayans
strangely looks like he is going to
break into an uproar of laughter
every time Sandler does some
thing quirky.
James Caan (Frank Colton), a
more accomplished actor,
appears for about 30 minutes
of the film, with his perfor
mance leaving nothing to the
imagination.
When acting is a major fault in
a feature film, one hopes the
direction or action sequences
can salvage it.
The direction of Bulletproof,
by Ernest Dickerson, is dry as he
has the actors bouncing all over
the screen.
The action sequences are first-
rate in the category of low-class,
and in its attempt to be a well-
performed, buddy film, it simply
fails. D - James Francis
gm / nnn wMj
Students advise with family ties
,
:
By Cecile Mazzola
The Battalion
S chool Families is a program dedi
cated to exposing the students at
Jane Long Middle School to posi
tive, adult role models.
Jane Long Principal Keith Garringer,
who played a key role in developing the
program, said it was designed to give the
students a safe place to discuss prob
lems in their lives or school progress.
“In today’s school environment
everything is based on tests scores or
grades, and unfortunately, time is not
allotted to talk with the students,” he
said. “School Families allows [students]
a chance to have a positive adult role
model linked with their education.”
Since the program began five years
ago, Stanford and Hogg Foundation
grants have provided funding for the
expanding program.
Seven homerooms originally partic
ipated in the program, but now over 25
participate, ranging from the sixth to
eighth grades.
The families meet weekly for group
discussions during homeroom period,
which lasts about 45 minutes,»to mold
the curriculum around the needs of the
students in the family.
Rose Urbanovsky, School Families
counselor and Jane Long counselor, said
the program has two main goals: to
allow students to interact with adult role
models and to create a supportive
atmosphere for the students to talk
about problems and successes.
“They refer to things they learn and
look forward to having School Families
come,” Urbanovsky said.
Garringer said recruiting volunteers
is the main problem with the program.
“Involvement from the community is
not as numerous as it is from A&M,” he
said. “Most of our volunteers are Aggies,
about 90 percent.”
The Texas A&M College of Education
helps with the program, providing stu
dent volunteers.
Susan Matlock-Hetzel, coordinator of
student volunteers and an A&M gradu
ate student, said students offer a variety
of perspectives to the School Families.
“A&M allows me access to education
and psychology majors and a diverse
group of concerned students,” she
“Having positive
role models like
A&M students
shows them
there is a future
that gives them
hope.”
Keith Garringer
Jane Long Middle School
principal
said. “Students at A&M expose the kids
to a diverse group. They each have
their own unique experiences to bring
to the program.”
Jill Hantman, president of the A&M
Psychology Club and a junior psycholo
gy major, said volunteering as a peer
adviser gives her a chance to be a posi
tive role model and a friend.
“I gave them my phone number,”
she said. “I didn’t want them to view me
as a threat.”
Garringer said there are high expecta
tions for Aggies, but not unattainable ones.
“We expect regular attendance and
sincere concern for the students,”
Garringer said. “We do not expect them
to be counselors or solve complex issues
— just listen and care.”
The volunteers participate in a one-
day training course at Jane Long at the
beginning of each semester. During
the course, they learn the program reg
ulations and how to structure the fami
lies, along with role playing games and
“ice breakers.”
Adam Westerfield, a sophomore busi
ness major, heard about School Families
through Circle K, a part of Kiwanis
International. Westerfield, who was the
only business student and the only man
to volunteer, worked with five sixth-
grade students at Jane Long.
He said the training course offered
invaluable techniques that helped him
deal with issues brought up during
group discussion.
“One day we played a game we
learned during training,” he said. “We
each wrote down a problem that we
didn’t want to openly bring up, then
put the slips in a hat and drew. We did
n’t solve the problems; instead, we
offered solutions and examples. The
[kids] appreciated getting advice from
their classmates.”
Garringer said an important aspect of
the program is the visibility of A&M stu
dents it provides to those at Jane Long.
“The program shows these students that
there is a future,” Garringer said. “For
many of them, the reality of A&M is as far
away as Mars. Having positive role models
like A&M students shows them there is a
future that gives them hope.”