Thursday, July 6,2000
mrsday.July 6,2000
imony
nin
o trial
— Federal agents learns
st wounds and otherk
uring training for the Hi
nch Davidian complex
cnowledged Wednesday.
Alcohol, Tobacco an
ierald Petrilli testified th
ents expected only toy,
:h sect members on Feb,!
y planned to search
;al weapons and arrest
mesh.
mm. tgiBiir iiiiiiiiBiiiiiii m ■■i /'~'v
AGGIES
THE BATTALION
Page 3
ith the blistering summer heat hitting Texas
again, concert-goers are foolishly anticipating the
summer music festival season. Soon, self-pro-
laimed music connoisseurs nationwide will pack them-
Ives into arenas to listen to terrible bands while
raid led to a gun
its and six members oil
in cult were killed. He
standoff that ended Apr
the cult's compoundne
own, killing about 80se.
stifying for the govermre
ng itself against a wroi
ed by Branch Davidian sc
ves seeking $675 million
-examination, Petrillii
at prior to the raid, son
jght by personnel at Fi
y Army post, how to a;
itravenous lines and t®
fire wounds. He saidh
stenciled on his neck an
lid.
e, a former ATF agent,k
lis body was not stanch
was recommended by "
re front of the cora]
fire.
nesday, Jacob Mabb,alk decide to affiliate themselves with.
left the compound
raid, recalled helpinj
rmembered seeing box&
1 ammunition stored»
n the structure.
ibbing elbows and other appendages with every
iveaty biker who saved up enough stolen pen-
iestopay the admission. Their armpits will
pen in the sweltering heat as the concert-
oers drown in the fecal matter of total
rangers while attempting to negotiate
le portable toilets. After all this, their
lols will shout expletives at them and
it on them after stealing their
irlfriends. All this for only $75.
ig summer tours started
ithlollapalooza in the early
fs, which toured progres-
veand rarely entertaining
Its dcross the nation to enter-
lin fans of alternative music,
jut like everything else in the music
idustry, the corporate leech latched
n and sucked it dry of the little cre-
tivity and vitality it managed to eke
political agendas of these concerts
and join the rebellion against au
thority, society and non-ex- * *
treme sports with the Warped
Tour. This tour should prove
to be more fun than the
Metallica or LimpBizkit tours,
as it holds a giant middle fin
ger in the face of the main
stream recording industry,
charges less for its CDs and *
merchandising, and loves ■
the fact that Napster gives its
bands exposure.
However, the Warped Tour -
will not be for everyone,
meaning anyone older than
16. The highlight of the show
will undoubtedly be children
who have escaped their chap
erones accosting anyone who can
buy them cigarettes or beer.
If none of these tours appeal to music
ut. All of a sudden, music was not about wholesome
;ek that writing an agffll ij n g S ijk e drugs and sex anymore; it was about profits
nd...well... profits.
Then someone remembered music was about art (also
nownin the entertainment industry as drugs and sex)
mght tents, medical ass nd the listeners (also known in the industry as the mo-
oilets and water to takes xns). People with knowledge of the Internet were able to
10 were to be taken into®
d, but never had a chanci
xchange music files and store songs on their computers
md listen to them at their convenience.
But Big Brother, and one must assume Big Momma,
nade it to the front dofflfl found out, and record companies decided to live the
he testified. As sw A. American dream of crushing free thought in the defense of
pproaching the bufett commercialism and profits. Otherwise, they might have to
get real jobs instead of sitting around and identifying the
CDs teenagers buy to fit into whatever social group they
So instead of being an expression of teen angst and
nane vocals, the summer concert series has become a po-
o gun magazines during® iitically charged event where fans choose their corner.
m sprinklers
chool must have spi
ailed within four yeats
in apply for no-interesto
T loans.
i applies to private an)
sols as well as fraterni
ty houses,
tall plans to havespfk
able by fall. The caus!
remains under invest
In the first corner is Metallica, the biggest, and by far
lest, band going up against Napster. Not only are its
lembers angry about the price of walkers and Viagra in-
reasing, they deplore the loss of royalties from unre-
tricted trading of their music. God forbid they should
je forced to accept the poor man's Porsche Boxster over
ie modestly more expensive Lamborghini Diablo.
To get
back at
these economi
cal and tastefully challenged fans, Metal
lica is touring this summer and charging
fans $75 to attend. Hookers cost less than
that... or so it has been said.
In the other corner is Limp Bizkit, who
is defending Napster and the free trade of
music, and of course, is touring for free
this summer. Limp Bizkit has come down
on the side of free trade of ideas, and all
those who would rather go through the
hell of a free concert than pay should ap
plaud them. Much like the man who in-
JEFF SMITH/The Battalion
vented the Pet Rock, Limp Bizkit knew
what it was doing. Despite the criticisms
of Limp Bizkit's music style, this band has
put its money where its mouth is, and is
likely to be rewarded with increased al
bum sales.
But whichever side fans choose, they
piece of mirrored plasl
costs less than a dollar to manufacture.
America Online sends out at least two free
CDs a week to add to their subscribers'
coaster collections, and companies expect
consumers to pay $17 for the same thing?
Anyone who is stupid enough to pay that
much for a boy band or Kid Rock deserves
to be ripped off.
Of course, music fans can forego the
>RD
IGS AT
iTX.COM
) WITH
EXPLORERS
\ SPECIALS
/ICE SPECIALS
TGED WEEKLY
iin ask for rate and rebate
ment information hasslefo
lief
during the fall and spring semesters! ■
ilidays and exam periods) atlexastfl
/IASTER: Send address changes to?I
l1 '
University in the Division of Stir I
d McDonald Building. Newsroom# 1 1
tp://battalion.tairiu.edu
orsement by The Battalion. Forcaifi
tising, call 845-0569. Advertising oil
through Friday. Fax: 845-2678.
[student to pick up a single copy of 1 ']
per school year, $30 for the fall or sp']
isterCard, Discover, or American EM
DJ DB
The Higher Education Drum 'N Bass Session
CD courtesy of F-lll Records
Drum 'n bass can be the hardest, darkest music in the world,
or the most melodic, mellow music. In his new mixed CD, DB
combines both the hard and the soft into one of the best drum
'n bass mixes of the year.
Higher Education opens with mellow, melodic, vocal-driven
tracks and moves rapidly into hard-edged songs with progres
sively deepening and more menacing basslines. This transition
is highlighted by F-lll's new up-and-comer Acen's remix of
Rakim's classic "I Know You Got Soul," a pounder in its own
right that only improves with the addition of Acen's maniacal
basslines.
DB's mix
ing is smooth
as silk and is
perhaps best
for the last
segment of
Higher Educa
tion which
moves into
jazzy drum 'n
bass ending
with the E-Z
Rollers trade
mark track
"Tough at the
Top," an es
sential addition to any drum 'n bass DJ's record bag. Unfor
tunately, the mixing lacks the tricks that make Dara's CDs
such a joy.
Still, the mixing is undeniably clean and the track selection
is top-notch. DB said drum 'n bass has traditionally been sad
dled with secondary status in the U.S. club scene, but if he and
other major producers can consistently make CDs of this qual
ity, the future of drum 'n bass is bright in America. This is de
spite drum 'n bass's traditional ties to the U.K.
"Drum 'n bass has been the poor brother in the United
States for a long time, and it's frustrating," DB said. "But
there's a lot of domestic talent in San Francisco and New York,
and with drum 'n bass dying down a bit in England, the U.S.
scene will steadily improve."
If DB is right, it is good news for the U.S. club scene.
(Grade: B+)
— Jason Bennyhoff
k.d. lang
Invincible Summer
CD courtesy of Warner Brothers Records
Invincible Summer is filled with warmth and solitude. The album's
11 brilliant tracks describe the temptations and free spirit associated
with the heated summer season.
This lyrical love story is a mixture of upbeat, spacey tunes and
slow, jazz-like songs.
Its tracks describe the excitement and hardships associated with
falling in and out of love.
"Summerfling" and "It's Happening With You" have catchy, dis
co beats, perfect listening for a road trip to the beach.
"The Consequences of Falling," "Love's Great Ocean," "What Bet
ter Said" and "Only Love" have much slower tempos. These songs
are ideal for watching a sunset or relaxing on a hot day at the pool.
The music of k.d. lang has been described as daring, captivating
and thought provoking. One word can summarize lang's latest, sun
ny achievement: invincible.
(Grade A-)
— Dewey Badeaux
fans, there are always
the summer tours of
the billions of boy
and girl bands this
summer — but it be -
better to be shot in t;
the foot and compete 1
in a 24-hour dance j •
marathon than to at- ’ ,
tend any of these. - ■
While the music in-.
dustry tries to suppress '
the digital future of music, fans can at
tend the concerts of their favorite bands
while reminiscing about the days
when rock stars fought for sim- 'j
pier causes, like the right to
piss off parents, the right to ./
use mind-altering sub- "J
stances, and the right to
have unprotected sex
with various unknown 1
partners with no fear of ‘
consequences. Unfortunate- *
ly, the music industry has not found a way *
for us to go back to those days, but even if ‘
they had, they would just ruin it anyway, j
’ *
Kyle Whitacre and Jason Bennyhoff'
are senior journalism majors. ■
H
Sinead O'Connor
Faith and Courage
CD courtesy of Atlantic Records
Sinead O'Connor makes a triumphant return to the mu
sic scene with Faith and Courage, a fine arrangement of i
smooth sounds and hypnotic melodies.
Public disapproval of O'Connors' infamous past ancj
her notorious expression of religious beliefs ruined her rep*
utation as a musician in the early 1990s. However, O'Con
nor has completely revamped her image, increasing her
popularity in the music world with her latest recording.
Faith and Courage's 13 tracks center on strength, deter-.
mination and ultimate forgiveness.
"No Man's Woman" and "Jealous" are two tracks that
define the entire CD. The themes of these songs are con
quering
personal
fears.
"The
Healing
Room"
and "The
Lamb's
Book of
Life"
combine
the
melodic
sounds
of brass
and per
cussion instruments with sounds of laughter.
O'Connor attempts to rekindle her reputation with her
new album and she will probably be successful. She is cer
tain to have a bright future in the music industry if she con
tinues to release recordings of this quality.
With Faith and Courage, O'Connor tackles her radical,
past and emerges once again as a lyrical genius.
(Grade: A)
V.
A=instant classic
D=don't buy it
B=a cut above
F=burn in effigy
Dewey Badeaux'
— \
C=average