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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1998)
: ,IK,llX ’ 11 Monday • Apri K Blaha Continued from Page 3 Blaha said hearing his voice on KORA was an experience he will never forget. “You know that movie That Thing A You Do?’’ he said. “You’re literally ! ; jumping parking meters. That was so 4 cool. I was on the phone with Lane in A Austin, and he listened to it over the < | phone with me.” | • The album, also titled Learning ' from the Past, was recorded in . Nashville in January with top-notch [f studio musicians who have worked i ‘ with the likes of Diamond Rio and * Steve Warriner. { Although Blaha has been exposed * to the work of established, top-40 mu- : sicians, he said his biggest influence is ,4 his father. “He was kind of in my shoes, a local fa vorite,” he said. “I grew up singing Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb and Willie Nelson. I love old country, but we fit more of a mainstream than outlaw style.” “Learning from the Past” is an up beat, boot-scooting tune that also in- C eludes a powerful message about turning one’s life around. Another of > Blaha’s soul-searching songs is “Lori’s f Laying Low,” which is about domestic violence, a girl who is trapped in an y abusive relationship. Blaha said the A song is along the lines of Garth Brooks’ A “The Thunder Rolls.” Z* “Everything’s been said in country music,” he said. “It’s just a matter of being able to say it differently. That’s the creative and challenging part.” ( Writing songs has been a hobby of Species II Lane Lostak (left), a University of Texas chemical engineering major, works with Brent Blaha (right) in songwriting. Blaha’s since just after high school. He said some songs take 20 minutes to write, others take half a year or longer. “The last song I wrote, I was sitting around late at night,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘yeah, I’ll remember that in the morning.’ Four hours later, I’m done with the song. “Everyone has something that dri ves them. For me, it’s creating music. I’m painting a picture with words and hopefully coming out with something that makes sense.” Blaha understands the risk in volved in becoming a professional musician, but said he is willing to take the chance. “Yeah, people may not like it,” he said. “That would be sad, but that’s not going to keep me from doing what I love to do. This is a lesson for me to not give up on something I believe in.” Often, college students with any de gree of talent are told, “It’s not the grades you make; it’s the hands you shake,” and although Blaha believes that, he spends more time studying engineering than studying music. “There’s a lot of talent that never gets recognized,” he said. “I hope I have a little bit. Unfortunately, in the entertainment business, it’s who you know. We’re learning from the past as we go.” Continued from Page 3 Eve is joined by Dr. Laura Baker (Marg Hel- genberger) and govern ment assassin Press Lennox (Michael Madsen) from the original Species. Mykelti Williamson plays Gamble, an astronaut who served with Ross. He joins the fearless alien hunters, more as comic relief than any thing else. Gamble’s main concern through out the entire film is his lack of “action” for the past year. The rest of the film fol lows with gory deaths of young women as Ross continues his own fertility experiments, while the pursuers track him. The film’s greatest sin is the horribly incompre hensible plot. The first film at least tried to give audiences a somewhat plausible premise. The second film has no such intentions, which is fine as long as it doesn’t take itself seri ously. Unfortunately, Species II does. Watching straight-faced actors de liver lines that sound like they were lifted from the latest issue of Fantastic Four is painful. If one must go see this movie, do not go with any one with a background in science. It will only in crease the misery. The plot also covers its numerous potholes with gratuitous nudity. Every time the moviegoer be comes confused with the film, a pair of all-too-per- fect breasts will appear on the screen. This plan may work on the males in the audience, but it won’t fly with the ladies. The acting on the screen consists mainly of throw-away lines like “This is themai ward... fromHi ing guns. The | provides many young actressai] get killed, alwayj start to anOsci' No one is hit", Natasha llenstt; acting ability.He talents areprese her physicalapp The onlyredt features in Spe the gore andnu those two thing ry a movie only The film is just to be saved byti 1 lollywoodstait blood and book Sk ccc FOR AN Whoop Continued from Page 3 The performing groups range from students to professional dance troupes. Participating groups include the African Drum and Dance group of Houston, the Aggie Wranglers, a performance by local band Evil Skaneevil, a demonstration from the Tae Kwon Do club, dance groups from the Indian Students Association and the Native American Students Association and an exhibition by the Jump Rope Club. With the diverse sources of entertainment available, every stu dent should find something they enjoy at the festival. “Three hundred to 500 people come every time,” Wright said. “Some people hear about it through their friends and come, some people just walk by and come in to see what’s happening, and oth ers hear about it and are interested enough to come and stay. “We want everybody to come. We would like to get people out here and expose them to what other cultures have to offer. We love to see people come who normally wouldn’t come; it’s a really re laxed atmosphere. You can watch the show while you lay out on the grass or play with your pets.” Whoopstock attracts all kinds of people. Dima Mousselli, Whoopstock committee chair, said everyone gets involved. “We always have a real diverse crowd,” Mousselli said. “There are old people, young people, students, even small children. We’re try ing to get the whole community involved.” For those students who prefer to be more active participants, Whoopstock includes a number of activities to get involved with. Part of the festivities include a trivia show, a dunking booth, side walk art, water gun wars, volleyball, a hula-hoop contest and even a jalapeno eating contest. Mousselli said people can come and be active or just come and watch the show. “There’s going to be a lot of interaction, a lot of stuff that people can get involved with. If we don’t have something you want to do, then bring a pet or a kite to fly.” This year’s festival comes with an added bonus. Since Earth Day is being celebrated on the same day, the two committees joined the events. While Whoopstock is taking place, the field where Puryear and Law used to stand will have Earth Day booths and ex hibits for the weary Whoopstocker who wants a change of pace. Despite the success of past Whoopstocks, there always can be a snag in the plan when the time comes to put everything together. “There’s an ultimate frisbee tournament scheduled for the same day, and because they are an athletic event or for whatever reason, Eve (Natasha Henstridge) break with her alien mate in Species II. they have the side of the drill field with the electricity, ”Wi “So, we had to haggle with them a little bit. Things havegi ty smoothly though.” Part of learning about other cultures is sampling theii that end, Whoopstock provides a number of concessions! Hiring cuisine from many different cultures. Any tasteca isfied, from (non-alcoholic) margaritas to cooked insects of the Entomology Club. “Bring money for food,” Mousselli said. “It’s worth it.We going to have a whole lot of concessions, face paintingan; other types of things students may want to do. Ofcouree also selling Whoopstock T-shirts, but to get in it is notgt cost you anything and a whole lot of the activities costr,: to participate in.” Students should walk away from the festival withanapt tion for other cultures and a sense of satisfaction comingk day of fun. “We just want people to have a better understandingofM of the world in general,” Wright said. “They can do thingstli wouldn’t normally do and have a lot of fun doing them.” Whoopstock is being held on April 25 at the O.R. Simpst field from noon to 6 p.m. Simel & are OK ' ccw w+ry M 'f < a ^ % Mark’s changed his thinking about a lot of things over the past 16 years. When the time comes to find the ideal ring for your perfect girl, take a tip from Mark and give us a call. At David Gardner’s Jewelers, we’ll do everything possible to get the ring she wants at a price you can afford! to make sure the ring you place on her finger is of the highest quality and value possible within the budget you’ve established. 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