luesday - June 10, 1997
The Battalion
kilt
Id COD'
1 ; , v
diel
prthgate record store manager Chris Penn works toward
Mattering the country music stereotype in Aggieland
mi By Jenny Vrnak
ichil The Bait align
ribin
'mawfthe subject is alternative music in Bryan-
rnij College Station, the name Chris Penn is
mn fliprobably not far behind,
ecoi Many people living in this area may not
inowwho Penn is, but his name is familiar to
lonfenylocal bands and fans of alternative music,
d nil Penn is the manager of Marooned
sistMtecords in Northgate and has been involved
filial# music for most of his life. Some local
Imusic lovers say that he has been instru-
°nd|uental in bringing alternative music to the
owaJstyan-College Station area,
foul Matt Beaton, a member of local band Lewis
t cTdasenior environ mental design major, erod
ed liTpenn with much of the group’s success.
1 ‘Chris really helped Lewis get shows at the
til Stafford Opera House,” he said. “He allowed
ptomeet a lot of other alternative bands in
| has, too.”
Beaton, who has known Penn for about three
{eats, said he has a laid-back personality.
“He works really hard, but he still knows how
have a good time,” Beaton said.
Penn said he has always loved music, al-
~jj hough his tastes have changed over the years
kmheavy metal to punk rock to alternative. He
aid the music business is constantly changing.
“Thebig trend right now is electronic music,”
kesaid. "Bands like Prodigy and the Chemical
0 Brothers, where they don’t use drums or guitars,
just keyboards and synthesizers. I think that is
“joingtobecome really big.”
Penn noted that even the bigger bands like
Smashing Pumpkins are following these trends,
too. He also said there are a lot of “one-hit won
ders” on the airwaves.
“I see a lot of people coming into Marooned
and buying CDs where the band has only re
leased one song off
cc
Chris is really bringing
the alternative music
market to College Station.”
Matt Beaton
Local band member
of it,” Penn said.
“Most of these
same people come
back a few weeks
later and try to sell
them back.”
Penn, a class of
'93 graduate of
Texas A&M, said he
hopes to use his ed
ucation in the mu
sic business.
“I knew A&M
had a good business school when I came here,”
he said. “Maybe one day I’ll be able to use my
marketing degree in music.”
Beaton credits Penn with helping to change
the country music stereotype associated with
College Station. He has booked shows includ
ing such bands as Sixteen Deluxe and Tripping
Daisy and is constantly trying to give alterna
tive bands more exposure.
“He has really been instrumental in helping
out local bands,” Beaton said. “Chris is really
bringing the alternative music market to Col
lege Station.”
Penn said he thinks many of the country mu
sic stereotypes related to the city are not as large
as most people believe.
“Many people think that alternative music
isn’t very popular here because they have heard
or seen how strong country is,” he said. “But
when you’ve got a university that has over
50,000 students, you’re definitely going to find
a lot of people that do
like it.”
Penn’s favorite band
is Tripping Daisy, al
though he said he also
enjoys the music of
UFOFU and many of
College Station’s bands.
He also likes to take
road trips around the
state to hear other
bands that do not have
shows in town.
Penn himself re
cently bought a drum set, but he said he has no
definite plans for it.
“I’m just banging around on the drums,” he
said. “No real plans—I’lljustsee what happens.”
Although he is not promoting bands as
heavily as he has in the past, Penn still stays in
volved in the music scene and helps out when
ever he can. He books bands for in-store per
formances at Marooned and assists some local
bands in getting shows in town. Penn said that
he does promoting because he enjoys the mu
sic and the people, not the money.
“It makes you feel like you are a part of
something important, something bigger,” he
said. “I just do it because I love the music.”
SP ^
mm n fflii
■
Photograph: Robert
Chris Penn has contributed to the B-CS music scene by working with many local
McKay
bands.
Getting fit for summer swimwear brings annual frustration
S ummertime means swimuits. And swimsuits
mean it is time to diet.
Recently, a good friend of mine and I
WewatchingTV A commercial came on
aivertising that we could lose eight pounds
Wight days. My friend decided for both of
rtatwe would accept the challenge.
I % One: We started off drinking a
I Me for breakfast and a shake for
lunch, just like we were supposed to. As
iaieafternoon rolled around, my stom-
acherupted. It wanted nourishment, not
milk that tastes like what’s left over from
ibowlof Froot Loops.
So, my sensible dinner wasn’t all that
I sensible. And it wasn’t really a dinner, either. It
I "as more like a fast food feast.
Day Two: The rules were officially changed. We
||(lecided if we drank our shake with pizza for
:h, it negated the pizza and we could still eat
liiinner. I got a little excited and started making
Lifestyles Editor
■i
April Towery
Junior journalism major
new rules right and left. If we only ate one piece of
pizza, we got an extra meal for the next day. And, if
we drank three shakes a day, we could
have dessert with our sensible dinners.
Day Three: I decided I didn’t care any
more. Eating good food makes me hap
py, and I would rather be happy than
eight pounds lighter. I’m not talking
about a health problem here — this is
the difference between a little red dress
and baggy jeans.
I mean, seriously, is someone not going
to be my friend because I weigh a few
pounds more than my height requires?
Am I going to lose my job because I don’t
order fat-free dressing on my salad at
restaurants? Okay, that was misleading. It must be
obvious by now I don’t order salad at restaurants.
My mother likes to tell people, especially those of
the male variety, that her little April is just a “meat
and potatoes kind of girl.” How charming.
God created us to look the way we look. Some
of us are big-boned, and some of us aren’t. It’s like
having a different eye color or haircut than some
one else — our shapes are part of who we are.
Besides, being thin is expensive. These eight-
day diets come in packages of 10 cans, which re
sults in either leftovers or yet another eight days of
slow slimming. Also, one package of diet shakes
costs more than a month’s supply of fried chicken
and cheeseburgers. And what the cute, 6 foot-tall,
95-pound beauty on the commercial doesn’t tell
us is that in order to lose the eight pounds, we also
have to sacrifice more money, time and energy ex
ercising. I’d rather curl up on the couch with a
good book and a pint of ice cream.
And why is it that it’s always women on the
weight loss commercials? I’ve seen plenty of male
beer bellies at the beach that should be covered. If
women are going to torture themselves to look
good in a swimsuit, men should, too. The only
men I know of that diet only do it because their
wives force them to. And I have never, ever seen
male mallwalkers.
And the corruption is starting younger. I chap
eroned a high school youth group party last week
end. A swimming pool was made available to the
kids, but many of the girls didn’t want to swim be
cause they were insecure about their bodies. They
either covered their swimsuits with T-shirts or
didn’t swim at all.
Now, that’s just sick. Here I am, flaunting myself
and my belly with no shame, and these 14-year-
olds with 10 times my energy are afraid someone
will notice their bellies or, heaven forbid, label
them flat-chested. My advice, if it means that
much to someone, is to get a WonderBra and for
get about it.
My father and I joke about how some day my
whole family is going to be on some really lame
talk show discussing their 600-pound relative and
how they saw it coming back when I was in col
lege and couldn’t even finish an eight-day diet.
True, that is not something I wish to happen.
But, for now, I’m young and I’m hungry. And
my mom always said I had a good personality.
Register now! Call 845-1631
Classes are Filling Fast!
I)»ii4*4 k C
Beginning Country &
Western Dance
Tues June 10-July !• 6-7:30pm
128/student • $33/nonstudent
Intro to West Coast Swing
Tuea/Thur June 10-26 • 7:30-
8:45pm
|28/student • $33/nonstudent
Advanced West Coast Swing
Wfimr July 15-31 • 7:30-
8:45pm
128/student • $33/nonstudent
Jitterbug
Tues June 10-July 1 • 7:45-9pm
$28/student • $33/nonstudent
Bellydance
Tues/Thur June 17-July 17 • 6-
7pm
138/student • $43/nonstudent
One-Shot Dance Workshops
foxtrot Level 2 Thur July 3 •
7-10pm
Tango Level 2 Mon Aug 4 • 7-
10pm
»15/student • $18/nonstudent
Langiia;»4 k Class4 k s
Japanese
Tues/Thur June 10-26 • 8-9:30pm
$4S/student • $53/nonstudent
French
M/W June 16-July 23 • 6:30-8pm
$48/student • $53/nonstudent
Spanish
I: M/W June 9-July 9 • 8-9:30pm
II: M/W July 14-Aug 13 • 8-9:30pm
$48/student • $53/nonstudent
Sign Language
I: M/W June 9-July 9 • 7-9pm
II: M/W June July 14-Aug 13 • 7-9pm
$48/student • $53/nonstudent
English as a Second Language
M/W June 23-Aug 13 • 6:30-8pm
$63/student • $68/nonstudent
Call 845-1631 to find out about
our many diverse programs. Or
come by our convenient location
on the lower level of the
Memorial Student Center.
Mon-Fri • 12noon - 10pm
Fri-Sat • 12noon - 5pm
Classes Begin THIS WEEK!
Just for the FUN of it!
We
/ve got the toys your mom threw away!
Blast From the Past fintap Tdjs F
COLLEGE STATION'S ONLY VINTAGE TOY STORE
We Buy, Sell,Trade:
Star Wars, Star Trek, G.l. Joes, Johnny West, Barbies,
Lunchboxes, Board Games, Models, Hot Wheels,
Matchbox, Corgi, Pee Wee Herman, Monsters, Robots,
Action Figures, Cartoon & T.V. Memorabilia,
Advertising Characters, Tin Toys, & More!
403C University Dr. West
At Northgate above Campus Photo
Tues. - Sat. Noon - 6 p.m.
846-4004
EXERCISE YOUR WAY TO
THE CARIBBEAN WITH FITLIFE!
The FITL/FE EXERCISE PROGRAM is excited to offer a fun and low
cost way to set sail toward A FITLIFE!
FREE FITNESS ASSESSMENTS & LOW PRICE MEMBERSHIPS
STEP CLASSES
WEIGHT TRAINING
WATER AEROBICS
LOW IMPACT AEROBICS
FITZ//2F
TONING CLASSES
INTERVAL TRAINING
WALKING CLASSES
SENIORS CLASSES
CALL 845-9418
FOR MORE INFORMATION
& A FREE BROCHURE
0
catch a
taste of
^ summer
with msc townhall’s
free cd’s
mercury records’
listening party
live bandtj^ 1
I nrowaway reople
swimmin
in 2
volleyball
12:00~4:00pm
Wednesday, June 11
outside at tine rec center
Serious About
Ask a Doctor
About the MCAT
“Getting into med school requires serious
effort. That’s why everyone I know from
med school propped with Kaplan. ”
-Evan Zahner, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
Kaplan Alumnus
Call today to enroll
in the #1 MCAT course!
superior
materials
expert
teachers
convenient
classes
proven
results
KAPLAN
1-800-KAP-TEST
www.kaplan.com
American *
I Colleges.