Dtember2()
iterest with wot:
rida prison oft
, died last week
;irrhosis of theli
prison groundstf
ned his body,
believe Toole ^
after abducti
ollywood, Fla. ir;
e confessed to ■
ose severed ft
o weeks after n
he later recantec
larged.
ler convia
ned by
^ (AP) — The fas
al Appeals on fe
the conviction
is sentenced toci
napping and mu:j
shley EstellofDs
ase of the yoii.a
om a Plano park;
irred lawmakers
sex offenders wif
n as “Ashley's La*
st the time of ft
parole afterse
)f a 10-year ser;
nd indecency witli
utors will ask fori
ate to be set by a
they receive the
appeals court, S3'
a Collin County as
torney.
Highs &Lo»
Yesterdays E
90°F
Yesterday's Li
m
Today's Eipet:
72°F
Information provide;
The Battalion
Dig
Defenders of the Universe
Radioactive Records
Give this guy some Prozac.
Dig’s new release, Defenders of
the Universe, is the male backlash al
bum, and Alanis Morissette would
be proud other male counterparts.
Vocalist/songwriter Scott
Hackwith sings of internal battles
with drugs and those who "just
don’t understand.”
In "Whose Side Are You On?”
Hackwith sings, “I’m a crack
whore/I’m a lesser man.”
The lyrics are powerful, and,
well, this is not the Bed of Roses
soundtrack. Listeners are forced to
dig into the sound and emotion
projected by the five-piece Califor
nia rock band because of the in
escapable reality the lyrics project.
Despite an overdose on lyrical
drug references, the album is
quite a work of art. Instruments
include a moog organ, banjo,
baritone guitar, ukulele and the
traditional bass and electric gui
tars, drums and percussion.
Many albums contain a “we re
ally are sensitive guys” tune. De
fenders of the
, Universe con-
Torlavis FxnwAil Tains several.
H^I StWiHj
English)
“Song for Liars”
is an emotional
tune that pro
vokes a mixed
reaction of
anger and sad
ness. Hackwith
sings, “You’re
hard to believe
in/1 can’t do
anything
right/So I’ll just
save the
ftght/And for
get you con
ceived me/I’m sorry I’m not some
one else/I’m sorry I can’t make it
right/I’m sorry I can’t help myself.”
An equally depressing song is
“Stop Holding Your Breath,” in
which the singer advises listeners
to stop waiting because “he’s not
coming back.”
“Bashing In Your Head” takes a
little annoyance to a level of vio
lence. “I’m sorry/You’re taking too
long/Don’t force me to bash in
your head.”
Listeners will find themselves
asking, “Is this for real?” The truth
is that it’s so real, it’s scary. Dig un
covers the issues everyone thinks
about, but no one talks about.
The words to “e.l.o.” aren’t ones
you’ll soon forget. “You’re so
strung out/You say that this is the
last time/You’re in control/You’ll
stop tomorrow/l’m not the
one/I’m not gonna be like you.”
Is this ABC Afterschool Special
material or what?
A double dose of depression,
Dig is on the way to becoming just
what Generation X has been asking
for, a band that understands
teenage confusion better than the
LaToya Jackson hot line.
The music is versatile because
it is depressing to the point of
Chicago’s Greatest Hits, but, at the
same time, this stuff actually has
a beat. Why didn’t someone think
of this before?
Dig is a band that has found a
way to inspire thought about seri
ous issues through its music, but
some thoughts may be ones that
listeners are uneasy about con
fronting.
Defenders of the Universe is an
excellent album
for confused
teens because of
the slap-in-the-
face lyrics, but
will also be en
joyed by music
lovers for the tal
ent and emotion
displayed.
If you’re look
ing for light rock
love songs, keep
digging.
Dig sings it like
it is and sings it
well. B+
- April Towery
Page 3
Thursday • September 26, 1996
Spoon
By April Towery
The Battalion
S poon vocalist/guitarist Britt Daniel has been called
passionate. He’s been called sexy. He’s also been
called stupid.
Daniel, a 1993 UT graduate with a degree in radio, televi
sion and film, has been singing for Spoon since October
1993. The band signed with indepen
dent label Matador Records in New
York in November 1995.
“Our manager said we were stupid
for not signing with the other labels
that were interested (Geffen and Warn
er Brothers),” Daniel said. “But Mata
dor has an incredible track record.
“If we went with another label, we’d
probably be getting more of a mone
tary push, maybe more radio cover
age. We may go with that someday,
but that’s not what we wanted for
right now.”
Spoon has made changes since it
originated in 1993. After losing guitarist
Greg “Wendel Stivers” Wilson to anoth
er Austin band, Sincola, in 1994, Spoon
became known as a power trio includ
ing Daniel, bassist/vocalist Andy
Maguire and drummer Jim Eno. In Jan
uary of this year, Maguire quit the band
and was replaced by Scott Adair.
Daniel said that since the changes
have been made, the band has “taken off.”
“We toured to Europe with Guided
By Voices and Archers of Loaf, and have
made three videos,” Daniel said.
The most recent video made was for “Not Turning Off,”
a song on Spoon’s album Telephono, released in April of
this year.
“It’s going to be played on access shows, and will proba
bly be played once on 120 Minutes on MTV,” Daniel said.
Much has changed individually for Daniel since he start
ed playing music in high school.
“I was in a crappy cover band in high school,” he said.
“Then I came to Austin and have been in different bands
since 1988, not really going anywhere with the music.”
Daniel said he has been told by his record company that
he is a "passionate” singer.
“I like to convey a lot of emotion; that’s the style I’m
into,” Daniel said.
“I think vocalization is using the rhythm of language. You
can tell something about the singer by the inflection of
words — I guess that’s why people say I’m passionate.”
Daniel said that although Spoon has had some enjoyable
live shows, there have also had some bad experiences.
“We played a miserable show with Garbage in Detroit,”
Daniel said. “Most of the people there
were high school or middle school
kids that seemed very disinterested.
Some of them sat with their backs to
us while we played.”
With influences such as the Pixies,
the Beatles and Wire, Daniel said
Spoon’s focus is on good songwriting,
not the onstage performance.
“We’re not afraid of showing our
influences,” Daniel said.
“Our strong point is our songs.
We’re not going out there and taking
off our shirts onstage. We’re about
writing good songs.”
Daniel said playing live is fun, but
it is secondary.
“What matters most is what’s
recorded,” he said. “A band can suck
live, but if they make good records,
you can listen to them for years.”
Daniel said thinking of song lyrics
is never a problem.
“I’m not obsessive about it, but I
carry a notebook with me, especially
when we’re out on the road,” he said.
Daniel said although Spoon has
not yet made a name for itself, people who have heard the
music have said they like it.
“Matador has a very laid back philosophy,” Daniel said.
“You’re not dealing with something like Nada Surf — shove
it down everyone’s throats ‘til they’re sick of it. Working with
Matador has been so different for us as far as distribution.
When we were putting out our own CDs, it was just some
thing to sell at local shows, kind of like our calling card.”
Spoon is on tour now and will continue through January
and “see what happens” after that. Daniel said he knows
what isn’t going to happen.
“Career-wise, I’d like to be able to do this,” he said. “I’m
not going to stop making music.”
Spoon
dishes
it out
The rock band from
Austin will be playing
at Vertigo tonight.
4SC
ft
>cr
*pm
15 Offkc
r cst
LION
ora Rasmussen;
Day, Sports Etf :
ther Pace, Of
!is Yung, Web Ecf
l Hickman, R;
Moog, Photo Eo"
d Graeber, C,
sxas A&M Universift
ilism. News offices a*
15-2647; E-mail:
.edu.
ip or endorsementL
I 845-2696. For das*
McDonald, and oft*
as A&M studenW-
ter, $40 per school^
srican Express,call
day during the fallal
ssions (except on
aostage paid atColtf
€15 Reed McO
Dew Drop Inn Tour ‘96
with special guest: JOSH CLAYTON-FELT
MONDAY, OCT. 28 • Rudder Auditorium
Tickets at Foley's, Randalls and Texas MSC Box Office
or charge by phone : 409-268-041 4
Produced by MSC Town Hall and PACE Concerts
Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) wc
LA*ing days prior to the even to enable us to assit you to the best of our abilities.
Nervous about GENE 301?
Appropriate Solutions in Genetics axe available
1st Updated Enhanced Answer Key Packets for Exam I
Probability and Ellisons Old Tests
(Now with Spring and Summer ‘96)
*Mitosis and Meiosis *Pedigrees
^Crosses *Quantitative
**Populations (Elison, 1st exam; all others 2nd exam)
(*new, "^anticipated, $3 each plus copy costs and taxes at Notes ‘N’ Quotes)
2nd Free tutoring help 2 hours per week
Tues. & Thurs. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Room 124 Heep Center provided as a service to TAMU students
Poverty should not prevent access to tutoring
3rd Individual help is available upon request
Call Marianne @ 690-0738 or e-mail moprisko@cy-net.net
10 yrs. experience, Ph.D. Graduate Student
Agriculture oriented, experienced with dyslexics
$
This Thursday
is
*1*
SKI DAY
. ©Travel Agents
M International®
Stop by between 2 pm - 5 pm and visit with
ADVENTURE TOURS and the
SKI INSTRUCTOR from CRESTED BUTTE!
Mini Ski Updates • What’s New in Destinations and Skiing
• FREE GIVEAWAYS
Ski Specials:
3 Nights, Air & Hotel
^<0.299,77329
Open Mon. - Fri. Sam - 6pm 2406 - B Texas Ave. So., College Station
Sat. 10am - 2pm
(in the Kroger Shopping Center)
696-1550