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The Battalion
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[Outlaw' shuns pop country
By Michael Schaub
The Battalion
exas singer-songwriter Ronny Spears has
no problem describing his music.
“It’s in between country, blues, rock,
Jz and R&B,” Spears said. “A lot of people don’t
bwwhat to call it, and I think, ‘Good.’”
[This "modern-day outlaw” will play at Bryan’s
ieTheatre Saturday at 9 p.m.
“Everyone just calls it Texas music,” Spears
."We fit right in, and what makes you fit in to
as music is originality.”
nd originality is Spears’ biggest concern,
-fcesaid.
do what I do, and if it takes me producing
-■d selling my own album, that’s what I’ll do,” he
1 said. “That’s the reason we don’t go to Nashville
e try not to be put in a category.”
Spears’ manager, Texas A&M graduate John
zyka, said the guitarist has no intention of al-
g his iconoclastic style to get radio air play.
“His music is real,” Muzyka said. “It’s from his
t and soul. He doesn’t compromise or play mu-
IMS® just because he thinks other people will like it.”
JN I Spears released his second album, Modern Day
H If/fltE, in August.
it ■“That album was work, man,” Spears said.
we’ll do a pretty love ballad one minute and
ti llle’re rocking the next.”
Ice I Spears is the latest addition to a growing roster
ier bfl exas singer-songwriters who go largely ignored
by Nashville-based major record labels.
“Ronny wants to stay true to his Texas roots,”
zyka said. “That’s one of the main attributes of
as musicians. They’re true to themselves. They
ive great artistic integrity.”
Spears said his songwriting is influenced by
l|x.an artists like Willie Nelson and Chris Wall.
“Back in the ’70s, you had people like David
an Coe, Gary R Nunn and Ray Wylie Hubbard
jSt come out of the woodwork,” Spears said,
hat’s happening again. Nashville thinks it’s just
riregional thing.”
The growing popularity of country rock is ev-
lenced by such artists as Robert Earl Keen Jr.,
# Son Volt, Wilco and Spears’ childhood hero,
Johnny Cash.
"When I write, I still have a little bit of that
shin me,” he said. “I’ve kind of taken that out
law country music to other dimensions.”
P Muzyka said American audiences have begun
to ignore many of the country pop artists signed
wNashville labels.
k “The public said, ‘Stop feeding me this pop
with a cowboy head on it,”’ Muzyka said. “They
ant a return to the country roots, which is ba-
Ically Texas music.”
Spears, who spent years in a “Top 40” cover
iand, said he has no plans to sacrifice the inno
vative roots-rock that has won him acclaim and
airplay on Dallas’ KSCS-FM.
“We could have cut a demo tape, brought it to
iashville and said, ‘Here’s a song I’m singing just
ike Garth Brooks. Take a listen to it.’ And they’d
ilt|Have kicked it right out the window,” Spears said.
“Everyone sounds the same now. They’re still
gning people who look and sound the same as
eople they've already signed.”
Ronny Spears
Spears’ beloved Texas remains a major influence
on his music, he said.
“I was born and reared here,” he said. “I’ve
been a lot of other places. I don’t think Td be
comfortable living anywhere else.
“Nashville’s not as accepting to Texas mu
sicians as they’d like to have you believe. I
think there’s room for everyone to do their
own thing.”
Muzyka, who used to perform as an opening
act for Robert Earl Keen Jr. at Bryan’s Stafford
Opera House, said he is happy to bring Texas
singer-songwriters to Bryan-College Station.
“Ronny has his own edge, his own style,”
Muzyka said. “Bringing him to Bryan-College
Station is kind of a contribution to him and to my
fellow Aggies.”
Spears may not know how to label his music
readily, but he knows he loves playing it.
“Some people are calling it alternative-coun
try,” Spears said, “tip here in Dallas, they’re call
ing it cowpunk.”
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«L ■ . -life*,*.
Page 3
Friday • February 28, 1 997
► OPAS Jr
Jungle Book swings
into College Station
By Melissa Price
The Battalion
T here is more to life than tele
vision - but some kids may
not think so.
Children can explore the arts as
they watch Opera and Performing
Arts Jr’s ballet interpretation ofRud-
yard Kipling’s The jungle Book Sat
urday at Rudder Theatre.
OPAS Jr, which has existed for
eight years, aims to bring a variety
of dramatic programs to the
Bryan-College Station community
to educate children about the per
forming arts.
Sheri Scoggins, OPAS director
of children’s programming and a
junior history major, said OPAS Jr
tries to give chil
dren an appreci
ation for the arts
early in life.
“OPAS Jr tries
to provide differ
ent types of the
ater that are
geared to young
audiences,”
Scoggins said.
“We would like
to introduce
them to the
world of theater
so when they get
older, they’ll be
ready for OPAS
productions.”
Scoggins said
OPAS Jr usually
has four perfor
mances a year,
and production runs similar to
that of the regular OPAS season.
However, the OPAS season is much
more expensive and extensive
than OPAS Jr’s and appeals to an
older audience.
Scoggins said although OPAS Jr
performances are on a smaller scale
than OPAS shows, the two are still
equivalent in quality.
Anne Black, executive director of
OPAS, said OPAS Jr targets the fam
ily audience.
“We work very hard to find
things that families can enjoy to
gether,” Black said. “In order for ed
ucation to happen, we want to cre
ate opportunities for families to
have this experience together. We
don’t want parents dropping off
their kids.”
The ballet interpretation of The
Jungle Book is being performed by
the Ballet for Young Audiences, a
professional ballet troupe based in
New York.
Jeffrey Cranor, OPAS director of
audience education and develop
ment and a senior journalism ma
jor, said OPAS Jr’s presentation of
The Jungle Book provides more
than movie or mall entertainment.
He said children who attend an
OPAS Jr presentation view an as
pect of life they may not have the
chance to see normally.
"There are other ways to tell
somebody something other than
using words,” Cranor said. “We’re
letting people know there’s more to
life than the television set. You see
it on the page,
you see it on
the screen -
now you’re go
ing to see it on
stage.”
Laura Char
lotte Smith, a
fourth-grader
at South Knoll
Elementary,
said she and
her family have
been going to
OPAS Jr presen
tations since
they began in
1989. She said
she is looking
forward to
watching The
Jungle Book on
Saturday because OPAS Jr perfor
mances are always entertaining.
“They’re fun to go to and
they’re interesting,” Smith said.
“It’s like an OPAS performance -
except it is for kids.”
Scoggins said the presentation of
The Jungle Book is an amazing op
portunity for the children of Bryan-
College Station because there are
not many ballets designed specifi
cally for children.
Cranor said OPAS Jr helps chil
dren get in touch with the fine arts
at an early age.
“We can’t provide all of the
knowledge of the world about the
performing arts, but OPAS Jr cer
tainly provides the key to getting
there,” Cranor said.
OPAS Jr presents...
The Jungle Book
performed by
Ballet for Young Audiences
Saturday, March 1,1997
in Rudder Theatre.
Shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets at MSC Box Office
For tickets call 845-1234.
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