Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 1997)
% The Battalion I: |i ; Ise!!: lieu agn |ieor cat |htl]‘ Jner.: Ru im gbyf fsan, BattJf tstf cti# id vli V30 m ire in C? nyfl* r Thursday - July 24, 1997 Hemp — not just for hippies? Marijuana plant products may make the move into mainstream By Mandy Cater The Battalion I magine a world where trees are free to live in peace; a world where fossil fuels are not spewed into the atmosphere by gasoline-guzzling cars. This is the world of hemp. When one says the word “hemp,” they often catch someone’s attention. The first response might be a raised eyebrow, or perhaps a toothy grin. Visions of “Dead Heads” in tie-dyed T-shirts dance like sug ar plums. That is because hemp has long been on the fringe of the American society, part of the coun terculture. But hemp may be mainstream soon. Photograph: Rony Angkriwan Bernadette Hinojosa, a sophomore environmental design major, weaves a watch band with hemp. Hemp is a plant with a bad reputation. Actually, hemp fiber is derived from the plant Cannabis sati- va, a native of Asia. Historical record indicates that as far back as ancient China, people knew about and grew hemp, making it one of the earliest cultivated plants. Hemp growth spread to Europe even before the Christian era, and eventually it made its way to the United States. ■ See Related column. Page 5 For years, hemp was regarded as a plant of utili ty. It was known for being a primary material in ropes and cording. Clothing made from hemp was common as well. The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were even print ed on hemp paper. Despite this seemingly respectable past, hemp had a falling from grace. The change of heart may be because of a little bursts of green ery that sprouts from the tops of cannabis’ tops. This flower is marijuana. Marijuana became an issue of public concern in the United States in 1937, when newspaper reports linked crime to marijuana use. Governmental regu lations sprung up via drug laws, and the future of in dustrialized hemp in America was up in the air. Recent years have seen a great deal of hubbub surrounding conservation, recycling and earth- friendly products. Research for viable alterna tives to paper and fuel sources has once again put hemp in the spotlight. Renewed international interest in hemp has spawned the creation of numerous markets and hemp vendors around the globe. Because of corpo rations like the American Hemp Mercantile, Amer ican merchants can offer hemp wares, as well. The American Hemp Mercantile is a national im porter of 100 percent hemp twine, fabrics and paper from Hungary. The corporation supplies the hemp to merchants and crafters across the United States, and even offers an on-line catalog of clothing and accessories on the World Wide Web. Bryan-College Station is no stranger to the hemp industry, either. Thanks to suppliers like the Mer cantile, local businesses can now broaden their of fering of earth-centered wares to include hemp. Hazel Todd of Bryan’s Earth Art said the public definitely responds. “Hemp has been popular for a while,” Todd said. “It has that mystique about it.” Earth’s First Farms in College Station specializes in hemp merchandise. Although the store offers more mainstream items like hemp clothing and pa per goods, employee Bernadette Hinojosa said people might be surprised by how extensive the line of products actually is. “We carry everything from shoes to food to shampoo,” Hinojosa said. But the weirdest wares, Hinojosa said, are hemp coffee and pet products. Jerry Shears of the Mercantile said hemp twine products are the most requested. They are used for everything from making hammocks to tying bails of hay to making jewelry. Earth Art and Earth’s First Farms reported that hemp jew elry is their best-seller. The major obstacle for the hemp market in the United States is, of course, price. With importing a must, costs are difficult to keep low. Despite the ex tra pocket change, though, the craze seems to be catching on, especially with hemp fabrics. And the trend is not just for hippies anymore. “Even Armani comes to us,” Shears said. Although its infamous topper causes problems, the future of hemp is hopeful. Since marijuana only grows on female plants, and agricultural en gineering technology continues to advance, promise for industrialized hemp growth in the United States is on the horizon. Trial growth is al ready taking place in the Midwest. As environmental concerns continue, hemp’s value may ensure it a spot on the American agricul tural scene. Those in the know are certain. “People do not know how valuable hemp is,” Shears said. “It requires no chemicals and takes nothing from the soil it leaves behind.” Shears said discoveries have already shown hemp a viable source of fuel for everything from automo biles to stoves. For all those tree buggers out there, though, there is a more important fact to consider. “Hemp has a 120-day crop cycle, while a tree takes 20 years,” Shears said. So, in other words, hug a tree; grow some hemp. Thursday July 24 Ruthie Foster & Full Circle, a blues band from Bryan-College Station, is playing at Chelsea Street Pub and Grill at 9 p.m. John Reyna & Tubie Pushee, a classic acoustic rock band from Bryan-College Station, is playing at Fitzwilly’s at 9 p.m. Friday July 25 Ruthie Foster & Full Circle, a blues band from Bryan-College Station, is playing at Chelsea Street Pub and Grill at 9 p.m. Reudian Slip, an improvisational com edy troupe from Bryan-College Station, is performing at Dixie Theater at 9 p.m. Gordian Knot, a Celtic folk band from Houston, is playing at Crooked Path Ale House at 9 p.m. Mike McAllister, an acoustic musician from Bryan-College Station, is playing at Sweet Eugene’s House of Java at 9:30 p.m. Bryan Terry & the Zydeco Travellers, a cajun-Zydeco band, is playing at a crawfish broil at 3rd Roor Cantina at 9 p.m. Trout Fishing in America, a folk band, is playing a children’s show at 6 p.m. and an adult show at 9 p.m. at Dixie Theatre. Saturday July 26 Darcie Deaville, a folk band from Austin, is playing at Crooked Path Ale House at 9 p.m. Harvest Weekend is being held at Messina Hof Wine Cellars from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ruthie Foster & Full Circle, a blues band from Bryan-College Station, is playing at Chelsea Street Pub and Grill at 9 p.m. Michelle Solberg, a bluesrock musi cian from Austin, is playing with Lisa Tingle, a bluesrock musician, at 3rd Roor Cantina at 9 p.m. Texas Twisters, a classic rock band from Bryan-College Station, is playing at Fitzwilly’s at 9 p.m. Old Army with Roger Creager, a pro gressive country band from Dallas, is playing at Fitzwilly’s at 9 p.m. Brian Whitaker, a classic rock musi cian from Conroe, is playing at Sweet Eugene’s House of Java at 9:30 p.m. Trout Fishing By Wesley Brown The Battalion T/"eith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet have been K making music together as Trout Fishing J. V.in America for as long as many students have been alive. Formed in 1976 out of the ashes of another band, St. Elmo’s Fire, the Houston duo has been a regular visitor to Bryan-College Station since the beginning, bringing (to bars such as the old Black Hat Saloon) its peculiar blend of folk and humor. Bassist Grimwood said they welcome the chance to return. “College Station was one of the very first towns to ‘get it’ with us, to really start to respond, in advance of the rest of the country,” he said. "We had people driving in to see us. It was one of the first times that we really started to sell shows in advance of playing them.” Trout Fishing has shows for adults and for reels in audiences of children and adults children. In addition to being voted one of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival’s “Most Consistently Praised Acts” (along with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Joan Osborne and others), the band has received numerous awards for their recent children’s album, Mine! Despite its ever-increasing success, however, the band has maintained its original format — two guys with acoustic guitars, and, says Grim wood, its original musical style. “We have kind of a street performer-type feel,” he said. “When street performers play — the really good street performers—there’s an at titude there, an energy. We try to capture that rootsy quality with thewriting, too. For example, one of the songs off of Reel Life (the band’s 1996 release) is about an all-night diner we used to go in Shreveport, Louisiana.” Since the beginning of the decade, however, the band has received more and more national attention. Performances in Canada brought them attention up north, and with the addition of manager Dick Renko, the band began in earnest to establish itself as a national act. Except for the addition of a drummer for a brief time in the 1980s, the face of Trout Fishing in America has remained (aging aside) the same. The attitude, on the other hand, is vastly changed. “In the mid-’80s, I was writing a bunch of depressing songs,” Grimwood said. “One day, Ezra said, ‘Try flipping it around and writing something more upbeat.’ I tried it, and it changed our whole style.” Their latest release, Mine!, is their first pure ly children’s album. The band was playing for children as early as 1977, when teachers began to ask them to play in classrooms. Although Idlet and Grimwood had never written any children’s music, they agreed. “We ended up playing just the same stuff,” Grimwood said. “Our more upbeat music worked with the kids because we didn’t sugar- coat everything like children’s music usually does. In fact, we never really wrote anything specifically for children, up until Mine!” Grimwood said this album has allowed the band to separate its children’s music from its normal set, although there is some overlap be tween the two shows. “Still, of course, our regular set is an extreme ly energetic show,” Grimwood said. “We create a feeling that there are more than two musicians are onstage, so that you can ask yourself, ‘Where’s that sound coming from?”’ Trout Fishing in America has released seven albums on its own label, Trout Records, and al though Reel Life is half made up of live tracks, Grimwood said nothing in the studio can com pare to the live shows. “When we play live, we try to set up the aro ma of the club, to connect with the crowd and get them really going,” he said. Trout Fishing in America MSC OPAS presents "A Taste of Summer” with IBircaidlwaiy Cailbanret featuring The Brazos Valley TROUPE and Friends singing Orcadway cf the 8C’s and 9€’s. Friday, July 25,1997 7:30 p.m. in Rudder Forum Free tickets available at the MSC Box Office, 1st Floor Rudder Tower (Mon-Fri 9-4:30). Call MSC OPAS (845-1661) for information. Two tickets per TAMU student. The Batrta I ion’s raow access to The WIRE <*3--tooimr w miMttiimGciiza news SGrtsicG for ftoo infomof from Ttoo ^ssodofod f^ross The WIRE provides continuously updated news coverage from one of the world's oldest, largest news services vie The Bettelion's wet> pege. - A comprehensive, up-to-the-minute news report combining the latest AP stories with photos, graphics, sound and video. - Headlines and bulletins delivered as soon os news breaks.