rsday • June 25,1998
The Battalion
GGIELIFE
Bar? None*
; ; Wi
Closing
Tim 6
By Natalie Cobb
StaffWriter
A ll around Bryan-College Station, night clubs are changing
their formats for the summer. Some are closed for the sum
mer because of the number of students that are gone, while
others are making changes to their clubs to increase the quality of
night life in the Brazos Valley.
Downtown Bryan has been a destination for students when it
comes to clubbing, but students might find their plans altered if
they try to hit the area during the summer.
The Dixie Theater, one of the many live music venues in the
area, is closed for the summer and will reopen under new own
ership, a new name and a new format in August.
Junior marketing major Emily Hollier said she will miss the old
Dixie.
"I liked the Dixie Theater a lot," Hollier said. "I'm sorry to see
it close because there aren't very many live-music clubs to go to
here in Bryan and College Station, especially in the summer.
"I am looking forward to the new club and hearing new music
though in the fall."
The new format for the Dixie Theater will bring changes, while
keeping with the spirit of the original club.
The club's new owner. Rami Cerone, said the format will be a
mix of old and new.
"One night a week we will have a dance night at the club, and
two nights of the week we will have live bands," Cerone said. "We
are hopeful that this new club and new format will bring in students
that want to have a good time. It will open in the fall since more stu
dents will be in town then."
However, the Dixie Theater is not the only club where changes
are being made for the summer.
In order to accommodate fewer students in the summer, sev
eral College Station hot spots are closed. The Barracuda Bar on
Wellborn is one club which is closed for the summer will reopen
in August.
Amanda Barrett, a junior speech communications major, said
/;* $ '
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♦A*' , , . ;
Once again, it’s ■ Disney-by-the-numbers
f tUnce again, it 7 s ■ uisney-
lurnnse
W Mulan
WKsmmKh _
Starring Pat Morita, Harvey
Fierstein and Eddie Murphy
Directed by Barry Cook and
Tony Bancroft
Rated G
(B-)
A t the end of Mulan,
the Chinese Emper
or (Pat Morita) wax
es on Zen-style about the
brave and selfless actions
of young Mulan to save
the Chinese people from
the Huns.
"The flower that blooms
in adversity is the most rare
and beautiful of all," he says.
And while as a movie Mulan
is quite beautiful, no one
should mistakenly believe it
is rare or a blooming flower.
Like the often adver
tised scene of a thousand
snarling Huns charging
down the mountain on
horseback — lifted di
rectly from the stam
pede scene of The Lion
King — so much of
Mulan is derivative
Disney formula
movie making.
Mulan questions
societal norms
through the tradi
tional Chinese myth
of a young woman
who enrolls in the
army disguised as a foot soldier in or
der to spare her aging, crippled father.
Just when she thinks she has
failed her family and country, Mu
lan reaches deep down inside and
musters up the courage to over
come all the odds. Talk about
unique concepts.
Disney went to great lengths to
blend Eastern and Western art, re
sulting in one of the most innova-
tive sequences in recent memory.
And while the computer graph
ic sequences are easy to spot for
their fluidity, they never fall prey to
the embarrassing "rotoscope" ef
fect prominently featured in rival
animated films such as Anastasia
and American Pop.
The hallmark of any Disney car
toon is the music. Mulan's music is
uninspiring and highly forgettable,
save perhaps for the Donny Os
mond-voiced "Til Make A Man Out
Of You."
Every character except the most
stereotypically Asian characters
have severely Anglo voices. While
Disney should be given credit for
using Asian-American actors for
the voices, most of them just seem
a bit too American. But maybe
that's expecting a little too much
for a cartoon.
The story, while inspiring, lacks
the pacing of past Disney animated
classics.
Now if only Mulan would have
tried to free Tibet...
- Chris Martin
she frequented the club.
"I wish Barracuda was still open; there aren't many clubs that
play alternative music and now that Barracuda is closed for the
summer we have been going to other clubs," Barrett said. "We of
ten go to Woody's, which is similar to Barracuda."
Woody's is a new bar in College Station in the Woodstone Cen
ter and has changed its format this summer from an over 21 years
of age admission to an 18 years of age and over club.
Gary Seaback, owner of both clubs, said drawing people to
Woody's through closing Barracuda for the summer was the goal.
"We closed Barracuda for the summer to draw more people to
Woody's; both are great dancing clubs and both play a variety of
music," Seaback said.
Another factor in closing Barracuda was concern for keeping
people in one location.
"We also wanted people to be able to go from The Tap to
Woody's without having to drive across town to Barracuda,"
Seaback said. "We can keep everyone in one convenient location
for the summer."
Seaback said students can expect some changes when Bar
racuda reopens.
"We are making some changes at some of our bars this sum
mer, we will be remodeling Barracuda and will be serving food
at The Tap in the fall with the return of students," Seaback said.
"We tried Woody's as a 21-years-of-age-and-older club for a
whole semester. We gave it a chance, but decided to change to an
18 and over club to get people there this summer," Seaback said.
There are many venues in Bryan and College Station that fea
ture live music. The same problems that dance clubs face and bars
also affect live music.
Talent booking agent Willie Bennett said he uses discretion
when bringing acts to town during the summer.
"During the school year I am careful who I bring in to play; I
am even more careful in the summer," Bennett said. "The num
ber of students attending concerts is in direct relation to the num
ber of students at A&M."
However, for some concerts in the summer, attendance is still
high. Pat Green said the lack of students this summer had little
effect on attendance at his concert last Thursday night at Shadow
Canyon.
"We love playing shows in the summer because we can be more
intimate with the crowd," Green said. "We can play our music in a
less-crowded setting where everyone has an opportunity to really
listen."
Whatever the season, clubs around town are adjusting to fit the
needs and lifestyles of Aggies.
Fall promises to bring on new formats for several clubs and al
though some night spots have changed things for the summer,
Bryan-College Station club owners promise summer night life is
still as hot as ever.
While “Aggie nightlife” quickly
becomes an oxymoron with
numerous clubs shutting down,
some are trying new ways to keep
the Aggie “spirits” alive.
At left, bartender John Whittington, Class of ‘86, spins a drink for
Brandy Peacock, a senior journalism major; Jeff Slanker, a junior ac
counting and finance major and Wende Watkins, a senior speech com
munication major.
'Tepid Haha'
combines Hanson
and Southern rock
By April Towery
Opinion Editor
F riday evening's show at
Double Dave's on North-
gate will be a homecoming
of sorts for Tepid Haha band
members Aaron Franklin, Chris
Heintzen and Brian Ziprin.
The musicians met at College
Station's A&M Consolidated
High School before moving to
Austin and forming the band.
The trio recently added bass
player Dave Lamplugh.
Guitarists and vocalists
Heintzen and Ziprin, original
members of Tepid Haha, formed
the band in 1995, their freshman
year at the University of Texas,
for a talent contest at their dorm.
When Franklin joined them in
Austin the next year, he immedi
ately signed on as the drummer.
With influences ranging from
Hum to Hanson, Tepid Haha's
sound defies description.
"It's somewhere between in
die, heavy and melodic,"
Franklin said. "I'd compare us to
Hanson — we're all baby-faced
and have long, blond hair. Our
shows art normally pretty inter
esting, just a good rock 'n' roll
show with the heart and soul of
southern rock."
What makes the band unique
is its onstage personality. The
live performances are a cross be
tween music and stand-up come
dy.
Franklin has been known to
write songs with topics ranging
from Oprah Winfrey to high-
school classmates. One song was
about a girl with braces whose
mouth was so big it attracted re
frigerator magnets.
The musicians tell jokes in be
tween songs and while restring
ing their instruments. One thing
is for sure — the "haha" in the
band's name is there for a rea
son.
Although the band members
take a lighthearted approach to
their shows, they are serious
about their music. Because the
members are close friends, they
spend almost all of their free
time together "jamming" and
practicing their songs.
Heintzen gave the band's mu
sic a unique description.
"It's fast-paced oral ecstasy,"
Heintzen said.