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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2002)
NE! THE batt m r V avoids Bank Mon ’e First Amenc, ^ed a robbeiy ter clearing th ,eav| ng the de ^ Bryan po| ent ered the and handed I, [nanding mone, he had a boni Farris of the artment. es told the rr<j a few minutest i together, tti;- > main area of tb „ . • , • , called policeari : or Lauren Esposito, a senior biology major, a Percussion Studio ck doors Inrt! rormance is an > ,thin g bllt predictable. hind them r ■ ‘ You never know vvhat to ex P ect at a Percussion Studio perform- ice arrived ^ e ' Tlieir P er f° nliances are ,un ancl exciting, and they are off the the from (fe ^’'Esposito said. "They (are) very different from anything 1 had to get into hisij : sp osito said her experience with Percussion Studio did not end e was apprer^i !the performance. She was so impressed with the group’s talent. Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Wednesday, November 6, 2002| They’ve got the beat krcussion Studio brings unconventional instruments to the music scene 5 p.m., Farris tting he neverh suspect was hi ■razos County ening. cides fatecf rs convicted dering five Kan. attorneys pfe*! > Tuesday to two brothers V cted of five 1 V i quadruples: who were force: ;ex acts befor i the head. Carr, 24, arr, 22, showed By Nishat Fatima THE BATTALION decided to audition and has been performing with Percussion |dio ever since. 'emission Studio, a University-recognized music group with 35 pibers, choreographs drum routines using a wide variety of com- and uncommon instruments such as water jugs, trash cans and er household items. izFausak, president of Percussion Studio and a senior elec- b engineering major, said the group adds a new spin to the eussion genre. j“Weare known for our performances that include percussion from iventional and unconventional means, such as plastic tubes and [terjugs,” Fausak said. “Although we have aspects similar to mp’and Blue Man Group, we are very different because we brporate a variety of medias such as dance and videos into our iws. We put our own spin on it.” Fausak said Percussion Studio’s members, who are divided into ferent “sound” groups, strive to find the combination of instru- ntsthat create the most unique sound. “In the past we have used wooden boxes, PVC pipes, wheelchairs, pen sinks, jock strap cups and even a CPR dummy,” Fausak said, e basically try to find things that we can make a cool sound with, icombine them to create an entertaining ensemble.” PHOTO COURTESY OF PERCUSSION STUDIO Percussion Studio performs for Destination Imagination, an after-school academic program, at South Knoll Elementary School in College Station on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The group's next performance will be on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Rudder Auditorium. ion when they»f: JThe group has gained public exposure since its origination in londay after a® 1999. and has performed at two First Yells, four MSC Variety Shows, trial. On luesiBisterBBQ and Whooping Weekend, among several other events, sgan consfe||Jay Rudinger, a Percussion Studio member and a junior industrial ey should be stBgineering major, said members are constantly on the look-out for ith or to life in pfis jl^ehold items that can be used as instruments, pt your verdidlK "Out of anything that we see, if we like it, we will use it,” it. We respectJ'. : P^ n B ersa >d. “We just have a good time on the stage hitting around me in this case •r n . attorney for Rer.'M lna ™ ltlon to having an ear for psuedo-instruments. Percussion i his ODenine<'‘-^ uc '' omem k ers are required to have percussion-playing experience, oenaltv ohase vice president of Percussion Studio and a senior civil P ' ^ tt&uieeringmajor, said the requirement has not deterred a steady Struggled °fPercussion Studio hopefuls from auditioning. ... . "Back when it first started, we would let anybody join because JtlOnal(C) wdesperately needed people,” Winn said. “It has grown so much Str'lkG l3W ! 0Ver y ears that we have to have auditions now and we have a TON (AP) - Ac: erne Court del ether ifs uncoi states to prerequisite of having percussion experience. We have a lot of people try out now." In addition to percussion know-how, Winn said, making the audi ence laugh contributes to the performance’s style. “We rely on visual performance and humor” Winn said. “We usually have somebody in the show who we call the ‘idiot’ or the ‘goat,’ who acts like a dumb guy and messes up the ensemble. It's a great humorous element and we always get a great response from the audience.” Fausak said the group strives to add elements of drama to each performance as well. “We aim to create a theatrical presentation rather than just a musi cal performance,” Fausak said. “We enhance our shows through dif ferent ways like having dancing in the background, using glow in the dark objects and mixing strange voices in to the show.” Fausak said Percussion Studio lias worked with other University organizations to add to the performance’s quality. “In the past we have worked with Freudian Slip who played with us and acted like our emcees, and we also worked with Aggie SWAMP (Screenwriting, Acting, and Movie Production) club to have interesting video tapes and recordings playing during the perform ance,” Fausak said. “There is always an appearance by Michael Jackson, in either voice form or by having somebody dress like him." Jason Ledlie, a Percussion Studio officer and a senior psychology major, said membership into the group has intangible rewards. “All (of Percussion Studio’s members) are only in it because they enjoy playing,” Ledlie said. "We practice long hours with the only gratification being the opportunity to perform. It’s not a private band, and we don't make any money. We all just love playing.” Jamie Baker, a sophomore industrial engineering major, has attended four percussion studio performances, and said it was a wel come change from conventional band performances. “The experience of seeing a Percussion Studio show definitely isn't like any regular band that you will see,” Baker said. “They are absolutely awesome because there is a lot more variety and effects in their shows. You have the ‘Stomp’-type aspect, and at the same time (there is) traditional percussion as well. All of their shows that I have been to were all amazing. They have performances that you can real ly enjoy and get into ” Percussion Studio’s next performance, "Percussionstudio.£>rg Bowl,” will take place on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Rudder Autittorium. For more information, visit www.percussionjrfudio.org. MSC Town Hall Presents EVERCLEAR .y Debello, Carmei 1 Ben Perez, Jessi« the fall and spnnl^ avs and exam pe" 0 ® 1 : R y Send address^ maid Building- iebatt.com he Battalion. ,0569-Adve y Fax: 845-2678- oliw CONGRATULATIONS! J°in the Celebration at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center NOVEMBER 7TH RING DELIVERY Tickets distributed throughout the day, beginning at 7:15 a.m. You must have a numbered ticket to get your Ring. Festivities begin at 2 p.m. King distribution starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. We encourage you to take the Bonfire or Replant bus routes that stop in front ol the building. Texas Aggie Artist, Benjamin Knox ’90, personalizing the Historic Aggie Ring You must bring your pink receipt and driver s license to pick up your Ring. If you do not have your pink receipt, please bring your student ID and driver s license. SPONSORED BY The Association [ OF FORMER STUDENTS' !/[/& oMes-flte, Aggie, Nefajo’dcf w/ Feeding 5000 TONIGHT 7:30pm Rudder Auditorium Tickets on Sale now @ MSC Box Office $15 Texas A&M Students w/current ID AGGIE BUCKS accepted <k For information call 845-1234 Please inform us of your special needs at 845^-1515