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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2000)
I'hursday, June 15,M Thursday, June 15,2000 yentioii end his precious campaign fat ;e Kentucky and Ohio, wherell ing the convention." vernor also will be in Portlaw m Thursday after spendic; le Bush family vacationhons bunkport. 5 absence at the state convenfe mb of the state party orasigr; mce to associate with the slat fear of political disputesarismi said. las a strong and good relation i the party chairman andthepar- live committee as well as the )ts networks around thestate," said. Page 3 THE BATTALION ^PHctC tAe L7 will reach out and touch Houstonians Saturday For anyone who has ever fantasized about a rock star, L7 is a dream come true. On April 14,2000, L7 raffled off drummer Dee Plakas to a lucky audience member. Since Plakas is regarded as the "most shaggable" member of the group by British press, she was the obvious choice. The Garage in London waited to pass out the tickets until the night of the concert to avoid forgeries. L7 chose its winner randomly with no regard to attractiveness or gender. The girls' only request was for au dience members to clean up before the show for Plakas' and their own pleasure. "I'll do anyone for L7," Plakas said. Though she is mar ried, she and her husband have an opemrelationship which allows her to cross all limits in support of L7. The extent of the sexual relationship between Plakas and the winner was the winner's choice. Despite the media's libidinous curios ity, Plakas does not kiss and tell. "It's called The Code of the Road, meaning, what happens on the road stays on the road," she said. Plakas spent the evening with a lucky gentleman whom tabloids have tried to find. His name is still not publicly known. Plakas said she left him speechless. Though L7 said this lottery game will not be a regular occurrence at concerts, two sold-out shows could provide American fans with some reward. With L7, no one can pre dict what will come. L7 has breathed new life into rock n' roll. Beginning its legacy in 1988, this all- girl band combines lust and raw pas sion for rock music to produce invigorating albums. Slap- Happy was released in late 1999, and the band considers it one of the last great rock n' roll albums of the decade. The founding members of L7 include Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Dee Plakas. Since its creation, the group featured Gail Greenwood on bass but Janis Tanaka is the current bass player. Greenwood's exit from the band was welcomed by band members. Sparks said, "We really need a West Coast bass player. Gail was a lot of fun, but logisti- cally and geographically, it wasn't working out." Thus, the current album, Slap-Happy, featured the group as a trio. Tanaka has since joined the girls, making the band a four some once again. During the absence of a fourth member, leai singer and guitarist Sparks played bass. Sparks' tal ents do not end with instrumental expertise; she als< writes most of the band's songs. The remainder of the lyric-writing is credited to guitarist and vocalist Suzi Card ner. The drum- Suzi Gardner Janis Tanaka vox/guitar bass his year. L7 completed a successful European tour in May. After two >old-out shows, the girls exceeded ill moral limits to show their appre- riation with their "drummer raffle." However, the band members say it is ill part of making the fans feel they ire important to the band. This one-on-one relationship /vill allow fans to experience the ^irls firsthand. "Most bands just ^ive you a T-shirt and a ticket stub :o remember them by," Gardner said. "We strive to break new ground and venture deeper into the one-on-one relationship that every artist strives to develop with their audience. We want to give fans more bang for their buck." Donita Sparks vox/guitar mer, Dee Plakas, also con tributes to L7's songs and is known for her "punk-polka" beats. Slap-Happy is the girls' first al bum on their own record la bel, Wax Tad pole Records, in association with Bong Load Records. The original title of the label comes from L7's 1988 release, Bite the Wax Tadpole. "We fig ured wax for the vinyl, and tadpole for emerging life form. Sparks said. This kind of creativity sets the band apart from all other groups in the rock industry. "We've always been involved with every aspect of our records, so this is a natural evolution," Gardner said. The girls take part in every detail of the job from artwork to marketing. Sparks said, "The suc cess of L7 put us in a position to finance this record and start our own label." This independence enables L7 to be more innovative with each record they make. "This record was a lot of fun to make, and the atmos phere surrounding it was very relaxed," Sparks said. L7 used the first or second take on some songs, opting for feel instead of technical perfection. After many takes, the song turns into a big production and doesn't produce the natural vibe that L7 strives for in songs. "We've become more eclectic with each record because Dee Plakas drums we've never pigeon-holed ourselves into one genre," Sparks said. The open regard to change has produced another first: a three-part vocal harmony in the song "Crackpot Baby." More mainstream songs include "Human," "Long Green" and "War With You." L7 couples attitude with humor in "Freezer Btirn." Sparks and Gardner use wit in many of the band's lyrics. "The words make me laugh, but the music makes me want to cry," Gardner said. To promote its music, L7 has been touring for much of L7 will be playing at Instant Karma in Houston on Saturday, June 16. The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are SI 2. Story by Amy Rosellini Photo Illustration by Stuart Villanueva exas GOP is disappointed^; oe in Houstoivbut party lea ind. Black said, iously we would love tost; r Bush at our convention.te d really like to see is George" ng sworn in as president ft i 's time is limited," Blacksaid crats say Bush's dedsiontp: Mican meeting means he is fait iciate himself from the"radifl it controls the Texas GOP. ne 19-20,2000 om 117 of the Kolcb mental training on Junf >usiness on Wednesday il two-day training is of lopment and our prepo In case of emergency M. *2, 3, ftdrm flpis. %a&ic Cnhfe Paid Ethernet Service Paid 'Monitored flfarm Paid 'full Size (daeher/Dryer 'furnished Soailahfe 'Multi-media Room 'fitness Center 'STM Machine On-Site 'Roommate Matching Service 'Individual Leases hg the Sed 1/2 Off S 6 cunty Deposit Open M - F 10 - b Oat f 0 - 6 Oun 1 - S Need a roommate?? ft ok about our roommate matching nervier.. Deposit Special good through SitSLOO Limited Svaifahifitg LLfiSf (ISId to Reserve gour Room! 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Donate Today. 2701 Morgan Ave, #400 Corpus Christi, TX 78405 361-887-0355 The Texas A&M University College of Liberal Arts & Department of Performance Studies present the TEXAS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2000 CONCEIT SEASON Texas A&M University Campus College Station All Concerts: 7:30 p.m. TICKETS (845-1234) Student $5 ($25 Season) • Adults $10 ($50 Season) Senior -65+ ($40 Season) PRINCIPAL SPONSORS: Arts Council of Brazos Valley Texas Commission on the Arts • The Eagle Brazos Business Arts Alliance University Honors Program Dr. & Mrs. Frank Albert Cotton Gilbert and Thyra Plass Foundation Saturday, June 17 Rudder Theatre Texas Music Festival Symphony Orchestra Leon Spierer, conductor With the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition Winners: Matthew Dickson, Trombonist Dan Zhu, Violinist Performing Works by: Johann Strauss, Sr. Johann Strauss, Jr. Richard Strauss Peter Tchaikovsky Maurice Ravel Presents “An Evening in Vienna”
