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Thursday, June 29, 2000
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THE BATTALION
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State of the art
Arts Council, College Station mayor unveil plan for new fine arts center
Amy Rosellini
T/je Battalion
College Station no longer needs to depend on Texas
A&M to see the performing and visual arts. The Arts
Council of the Brazos Valley, in a press conference on
June 27, announced its intentions to provide the com
munity with state-of-the-art facilities superior to any
other in the community.
"1 think it will be about two years, and then we will
see a fine arts facility that will really make a positive
statement about our community," said David Romei, the
executive director of the Arts Council of the Brazos Val
ley. The council will decide on a site for the center after
December 2000, and planning for the arts center will
continue until 2002, when construction can begin.
Romei said, the Arts Council authorized a company
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The Battalion
in Dallas, PMK, to survey artists and patrons and deter
mine the need for a new center. The response rate to the
survey was 23.6 percent, with two-thirds of the respon
dents affirming the need to accommodate musical and
dramatic productions in a new facility. Fifty-three per
cent expressed a willingness to attend a professionally
sponsored event rather than ones presented by a school
or university.
The PMK study's surveys showed similar support
and requests from the artists, and many included rec
ommendations on the design of the center. Theater
groups who might use the facilities want an affordable,
flexible, "non-elitist" facility. Musical theater groups de
sire a venue that can seat 600-750 people. Visual arts
groups are looking for classroom and studio space.
"Anybody who supports the arts in our community
Art enthusiasts listen to a presentation on the planned fine arts center. The project could cost from 6 to 20
million dollars.
knows how badly we need this facili
ty," said Diane Stropp, chair of the
Arts Council feasibility committee.
The additional conclusions from the
study, she said, showed the Bryan-
College Station area has limited art fa
cilities and limited parking for these
facilities. Also, administrative support
facilities and two acoustically respon
sive venues for the arts are needed.
"The Arts Council is celebrating
three decades in the community by of
fering more to its 39 affiliates," said
Jerry Blackwelder, a member of the
Arts Council. "The council promises
the community a site it has never seen
before with both architectural and
artistic merit."
Romei said the new facility will
provide both the artists and citizens an
opportunity to grow. "Without a
venue, the Brazos Valley's artists go
unappreciated," Romei said. "The
new arts center will give them a
chance to enhance their talents within
the community.
"A phone poll showed 84 percent
support for the performing arts center
in the community," Romei said. "The
council is confident that the expressed
support shows a real need for more
outlets of artistic expression in the
Brazos Valley."
"People should not have to go outside the communi
ty to show their God-given talents," said Lynn Mcll-
haney, mayor of College Station. "The new art center
will give local artists the chance to practice and perfect
their abilities.
"I believe we have moved into the next phase of life
for our community," Mcllhaney said. "The council hopes
to build a stronger partnership between the arts, busi
ness, and general communities."
College Station mayor Lynn Mcllhaney explains the proposal for the
new fine arts center Tuesday.
Blackwelder says the city has grown to a size where
it can now accommodate a cultural arts performing cen
ter. Surveys even suggested an outdoor sculpture gar
den, as a unique addition to the community.
The Arts Council of Brazos Valley has embarked on
a difficult task. Tlie new facility could cost anywhere
from $6.5 million to $20 million. Once built, the center
may include dining, shopping and relaxation before and
after each event..
Various Artists
The Best of Hard Rock Live
CD courtesy of London Sire
Records, Inc.
Matchbox Twenty
Mad Season by Matchbox Twenty
CD courtesy of Atlantic Records
When its album Yourself or Someone Like You debuted.
Matchbox Twenty had been playing together as a band for less
than a year. Buried in the anticipation of the group's sopho
more effort was a curiosity to find out what it really sounded
like. On Mad Season by Matchbox Twenty, the band reveals that
it sounds just like
everyone else.
The band infuses
heavy string and brass
sections into a number
of the songs on Mad
Season and lead singer
Rob Thomas' vocals
have never been so
warbly, but the net re
sult is an album that
neither quietly draws
the listener in nor
blows him or her
away. Mad Season
lacks what great records are filled with, and what Yourself had a
few of: meaningful songs with compelling lyrics and moving
instrumentation.
Thomas has gone on the record saying he does not want
to push any boundaries musically, but instead happily ride
the middle of the road. For better or worse, Mad Season cap
tures the Orlando-based quintet in all its blandness. The al
bum hits a few high points with "Rest Stop" and the first sin
gle, "Bent," but songs like "The Burn" and the title track
"Mad Season" are so forgettable that they overwhelm the
rest of the record with yawns.
With Yourself or Someone Like You, the band muscled in
enough radio-friendly pop-rock tracks to compensate for dis
asters like "Shame" and "Argue." Now the tables are turned,
and the catchy singles are few and far between. If a listener
was never tempted to hit the skip button while listening to
Yourself, then he or she will probably thoroughly enjoy Mad
Season. The rest of the world will have to wait for something a
bit more meaningful.
Matchbox Twenty's motto is "Cool bands don't sell records."
Their first effort sold 10 million copies and Mad Season is likely
to be one of the bigger hits of the summer. It seems the boys are
proving their own theory. (Grade: C)
— Eric Dickens
Hard Rock Live's recently re
leased compilation features first-
rate artists with second-rate
songs. Artists as well known as
Soul Asylum play only mediocre
music, considering their talent.
People who expect a "Best of..."
CD to feature every group or
singer's best songs will be sur
prised to find no such thing in
Hard Rock's version.
However, the album is not
without a few spurts of talent by
artists like Blues Traveler and Ani
DiFranco. Blues Traveler takes the
old classic "Low Rider" and turns
it into an instrumental master
piece. The electric guitar takes
over where a singer normally
would, and the harmonica com
mon to Blues Traveler songs is
truly unique in this new version.
In "Little Plastic Castle," Ani
DiFranco begins with her vocals
accompanied by only a guitar. Af
ter the first verse, instruments ex
plode through the rest of the song.
This live version of the song fea
tures an accordian where the orig
inal release featured horns. Not to
be outdone, Hootie and the Blow-
fish try to put a new spark in their
previous hit, "Hold My Hand."
Though the band played a live
acoustic version, it still sounds
like the same old song.
The remainder of the Hard
Rock's female artists sing the mu
sic fans know them for. They
sound little more than fine and at
tempt nothing new in these live
versions. Natalie Merchant
records "Kind and Generous" ex
actly as it was heard on the radfo
when it was at the top of the
charts, with the exception of the
applause scattered throughout. "I
Don't Want to Wait," by Paula
Cole, and "I Do," by Lisa Loeb,
produce the same effect. The Pre
tenders' Chrissie Hynde gives the
best female performance with
"Middle of the Road." The long
instrumental breaks offer neces
sary variety from other songs on
the album. This song is followed
by another great band, Barenaked
Ladies, that sings "Brian Wilson"
in its usual style. The remainder of
songs include Fastball's "Sooner
or Later," Lou Reed's "Busload of
Faith," Wilco's "Outta Sight, Outta
Mind," Soul Asylum's "I Will Still
Be Laughing" and Ben Folds
Five's "Song for the Dumped."
These songs show nothing new
and lack^he creativity of other live
albums. The Best of Hard Rock Live
may be worth buying for its two
or three hits, but only if fans can
excuse its 10 misses. (Grade C-)
— Amy Rosellini
instant classic
don't buy it
B
F
a cut above
burn in effigy
C = average
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Local Rail Economic Feasibility
and Location Study
Wed., June 28
Thurs., June 29
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
305 Wellborn Road
Bryan Public Library
201 East 26 ,h Street
Meeting Schedules are the same at all locations:
6:30-7:00 p.m. - Open House
7:00-7:30 p.m. - Presentation
7:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Public Comments
You are encouraged to attend and show your
support of the relocation of the railroad that
separates the Main Campus and the West
Campus.
Conducted by the Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning
Organization in cooperation with the Cities of Bryan and College Station,
Brazos County, Texas A&M University and Union Pacific Railroad.
Call 979.260.5298 for more information
NOW ACCEPTING BUS DRIVER
APPLICATIONS FOR SPRING 2000
Pick up an application at Bus Operations on
Agronomy Road, Mon. - Fri., 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m.. julv 14-
For more information, call 845-1971
We’ve Moved!!!
CarePlus Medical
has relocated to temporary facilities in the
Lacks Shopping Center behind Quizno's.
Summer hours:
CarePlus Medical:
8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Mon. - Sat.
1:00 - 7:00 p.m. Sunday
We apologize for any inconveniences!
CarePlus
696-0683
1 0% A&M / Blinn Student Discount
(self-pay only)