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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1999)
: Battalion A GGIELIFE J^ageSj^Thursda^A^rO^^lQQ^ mp^umpm MJTWWWW tnM m mjm ■ W Wm 1V mJtf amidew York ska pioneers bring good vibrations to College Station ' e to answer a products, ndents stomr asket. Not Earth',' iy. e of our mai: JY AMY DAUGHERTY The Battalion hat started as a group of guys rehearsing in a rat- infested basement on m , e Lower East Side of New York ^ ' Ur ty in the early ’90s has trans- | Oencoii^| me d into an eight-piece ska Rivestiiu inc i that carries with it some of lb 1:1 e last true Jamaican ska beats om the’60s. people out: xhr Brooklyn boys now iiH'iiaboutw: !■]-, a s The Slackers began as R.inerearer.five piece band, playing a mon- ngtoproni : ge of pop, punk and ska. wings as ei on." h Week inci im at A&.M ?w leader tam, said were a revival of sorts of igland’s two-tone movement of elate ’70s and early ’80s, which eluded bands like The Specials id English Beat. Victor Ruggiero, lead vocalist id keyboardist for The Slackers, materials cob tid lin an interview with Ska- akaze magazine that ska leg- < up an)#;ids such as The Specials have lie white par: very influential, ix. Weboxr-1 “All I ever really wanted to o do cheap r. mnd like was The Specials,” )rplastic,taiggiero said. “In a way, that’s mtothat." ill ill I ever want to sound like.” students are The five original members — i campus. Hiero, Marq Lyn on vocals, thestudenth J. Scanlon on guitar, Luis Zulu- yclecans.pa; 5a on percussion and drums and inly can you larlus Geard on bass, are still g theem# temhers of The Slackers’ ensem- too much da l- nakethisplafiThey have been joined by avid Hillyard on saxophone, lerl Pine on trombone and ve ils, and Jeremy Mushlin on jgimpet and vocals, if After the addition of Hillyard, former member of Hepcat, and nushlin, formerly of the Allsto- ians, the band’s sound moved in le direction of more traditional ta fend reggae. In 1996 The Slackers’ first al um, Better Late Than Never, r as!released on Moon Records. The typical ska music of the me was portrayed throughout lis album, with such tracks as ie reggae/punk song “Run way” and the ska swing song Sarah.” 1 It was not until 1997, howev er, that The Slackers found their true sound with their Hellcat Records release Redlight. Between their title track, “Cooking for Tommy,” a tribute to legendary Skatalite Tommy McCook, and the album’s reggae tune “Watch This,” Redlight quickly became a success. The Slackers’ fame has reached beyond the United States to places as far away as Amster dam. Geard said in a press release that The Slackers’ music is more appealing to mature audiences. “I think the VH-1 audience is a perfect traditional ska audience,” Geard said. “I think they dig the groove and the vibe more; they’re more sophisticated and don’t get put off by Latin and jazz influ ences.” Geard said he thinks it is hard for people to find The Slackers’ music anything less than appeal ing. “The beat’s infectious, and then the other influences make it more interesting,’’Geard said. Their latest record. The Ques tion, was released in 1998 by Hellcat Records. It consists of more than an hour of original mu sic and covers such topics as al coholism, innocence and lost loves. The Question utilizes ska’s blends of several different types of music including pop, soul, jazz, R&B and reggae. Jeff Abarta, who works for The Slackers’ artist development team, said the good vibrations are what he likes best about the band. • “For me, the main thing I love is the vibes,” Abarta said. “They’re amazing musicians and I’m not taking away from that, but it’s the vibes I like best.” Abarta said he thinks The Slackers play uplifting music. “There’s something about their music that makes me feel good,” Abarta said. “I don’t like trendy ska, like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I like the more traditional stuff.” The Slackers’ ability to incor porate several types of music into their sound has helped garner their large following. “Their genuine fondness for rock steady, reggae, jazz and ska is what I like,” Abarta said. “They have a true appreciation for those that came before them.” The Slackers will perform Fri day at the Crooked Path Ale House. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SLACKERS The Slackers will perform Friday night at the Crooked Path Ale House. The Slackers The Question CD Courtesy of Hellcat Records If finding music to bounce to is on the agenda, then The Slack ers’ latest release The Question, will hit the spot. If the Jamaican beat ska and the more traditional ska beats do not get listeners moving, then the lyrics of Slackers’ vo calists Victor Ruggiero and Marq Lyn will. The Question consists of more than an hour of original music performed by the 8-piece band with bubbling vocals, horns and guitars, and swinging rhythms. The album sounds reggae-ish at times, and at other times it just shouts traditional ska. The record has few cheerful lyrics, but the majority of the album still manages to sound upbeat. Most of the songs consist of lyrics about betrayal, lost loves and sadness, all cleverly dis guised in each song’s jumping beats of each song. An especially good track, “No Love,” has lines like, “I can never sleep, I can only weep/ You know, it’s no good to be in love.” From the way many of this al bum’s tracks sound, it is obvious that these guys must have been burned pretty badly by love. The Question gives an invit ing combination of jazz, reggae, pop, soul and R&B that ultimate ly translates into some really great ska — mad props to The Slackers. (Grade; A) — Amy Daugherty Sales Consultants utomotive concept store needs Sales Consultants in the Houston area. onsultants will act as a single point of contact for customers. On a day-to-day basis, consultants will present vehicles, accompany customers on test-drives and educate guests on the retail process. Consultants will also assist with trade-in evaluation, facilitate financing decisions and oversee paperwork. Candidates should have a college degree, great interpersonal skills and be comfortable with the Internet. No previous automotive retail experience necessary. Salary - $50K potential. Send r6sum6 by 4/30/99 to Leed Performance, Inc., PO Box 6493, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-6493 or e-mail to AUTOMALL@EMAIL.COM The SPEECH COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION welcomes: DR. RICK RIGSBY Thursday, April 22, 1999 7:00 p.m. Room 230 Memorial Student Center This is the final meeting for the school year r—^ SUMMER SCHOOL FOR PEOPLE ON THEIR Vm TO THE TOP. If you didn't sign up forROTC as a freshman or sophomore, you can still catch up to your classmates by attending Army ROTC Camp Challenge, a paid five-week course in leadership. By the time you have graduated from college, you'll have the credentials of an Army officer. You'll also have the discipline, experience and self-confidence you need to succeed in college and beyond. For details, contact Captain Robert Magee at (409) 845-2814. Li Xcr i > ycU ARMY ROTC THE SMARTEST COLLEGE COURSE YOU CAN TAKE WHOOPSTOCK <99 UNITY FESTIVAL Come Join Us for a Celebration of Unity What: “Whoop and The World Whoops with You!!!” Why: Whoopstock ‘99 When: Saturday, April 24,1999 • noon-6 p.m. Where: Simpson Drill Field, Texas A&M University TICKETS GO ON SALE MONDAY 3PM www.aggiecentral.com MON Aor 26 TUES Apr 27 WED Apr 28 RHYS 201 4-6 PM CH. 1 4 CH 1 5 CH 6 OH EM 102 Nk*w 6-8 PM CH 27 CH 28 CH 26 CHEM 1 02 Dr. 8-10 PM CH 20,21 A CH 21 B CH 27 RHYS 218 10 PM MID CH. 12 CH 1 3A CH 13B | MON Apr 26 TUES Apr 27 WED Apr 28 CHEM 101 8-10 PM CH. 13 CH. 1 4 CH. 13 CHEM 102 Dr. Bortaaoi 10 PM MID CH 27 CH 28 CH 26 | 5 ant Crawfish & Beer! EVERY THURSDAY MIGHT! BOILED CRAWFISH $3.99/lb. Student ID required 50# Drafts & 99# Margaritas only w/purchase of an entree Student ID required 268-5333 31 7 College Ave. • Old Albertson's Shopping Center Attention Class of ’99 Come meet your new Class Agents: Kelly Vann Curtis Franke Will Hurd AII three will be available on April 24 at Midnight in the Flag Room of the MSC ZACHARY LAWN X APRIL 24 11:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.