The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 30, 2003, Image 3

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    NI 1
THE BATTAL!
suit
Aggielife
A new kind of art
Canvas brings eclectic style, performance to Shadow Canyon
By Nishat Fatima
THE BATTALION
iued from page
Daily Texan main
information shoui
md that people k
know when the;
watched, said li
the editor in chi
ly Texan.
Magnussen, m
of telecommunic:
1, said the issue;
it one.
question const
ked now is if info
hould be po! Debbie Ridgeway hurries to park her car
sen said. "We get into the Canvas performance. Sprinting
ound by the oblJward the entranceway, she turns off her cell
m the public a phone just in time to get inside the doors,
m to protect the Inside, the audience is silent with anticipation
fail a single guitar riff causes the crowd to
of A&M’s survci jxplode into a frenzy.
can be found ([Ridgeway, a Canvas fan and a senior psychol-
’arages aridon-a-hgy major, said this kind of
fell as the Easter.fet' 011 for the band is not
the Stark GallenRual.
such as The PaviRThe entire band is made of
it musicians,” she said. “No
tter what genre of music you
fer, they always put on a
[at show and everybody has a
at time.”
ecurity cameraB^ ust ‘ n ‘based Canvas features
vily concentratec ■ a * ternat ' ve roc ^ talents of
lepartment detei Br 1 B y ram - Jose P h Kin 8’
*ds for survei N' an Mandrake, Ben Rada and
en said RRtt Thomas. With musical
Transpon* luences ran g' n f? from The
(TS) does mostjf ors t0 traditional Indian
nitoring MaorR ntras ’ the band ' s st y ,e vanes
The Battalion
Page 3A • Thursday, January 30, 2003
A machines, anc
)f Veterinary Med
ea.
'eterinary schoo
lots are two
areas under TS'i
are staffed arouc.
Im mainstream rock.
King, Canvas’ lead vocalist,
a
We aim to take
our listeners on a
journey into the beat
nick psyche. During
our live shows we
want to create a
dark carnival-esque
experience.
— Joseph King
lead vocalist for Canvas
dthe name of the band originated when he
h security guardd d Rada were s P endin S time in an old house
ess to visua | their recording studio.
|“One room (in the old house) had a lot of
fandom and poetic carvings on the walls and
ceilings. One of the carvings said ‘This is our
nvas,”’ King said. “After we read that, we
lewthat the band would be called Canvas.”
King said the band’s name is appropriate
ost anywhere or:
3ts around caif
:n said,
sity
nt DirectorBoMli;
not involved^
of security;»
s.
because it views its music as an art project.
“The recording process is like a painting,
and you can take your time to add all the tex
tures and trimmings to your satisfaction,” he
said. “We aim to take our listeners on a jour
ney into the beatnick psyche. During our live
shows, we want to create a dark, carnival-
esque experience.”
The band’s talent extends from its live per
formances, however. Canvas’ unique sound
creates strong appeal with its audiences,
Ridgeway said.
“Some musicians stick to
their formulas, but end up being
stuck in a rut. To keep your fans
interested, you have to keep
reinventing yourself,” she said.
“I can see differences in Canvas
even from one song to another.”
Ridgeway is not alone in her
admiration for Canvas’ eclectic
style.
“There is an underground,
almost cult-like following of
fans for Canvas,” said Shailey
Gupta, a junior political science
major. “A lot of their fans from
different cities try to congregate
together whenever there is a
show. The band tries to create a
close bond with the audience by
telling stories between songs, playing an
acoustic set every so often and even perform
ing Beatles cover songs sometimes.”
Gupta said the sounds of the band are fur
ther accented by unique lyrics.
“All of the lyrics are very poetic and
thoughtfully written, and the messages in their
songs is a departure from the regular pop-cul-
turized lyrics,” she said. “(Canvas) creates a
PHOTO COURTESY OF CANVAS
Austin-based Canvas will perform from noon to 2 p.m. at Rudder Fountain and at 7 p.m. at Shadow Canyon.
kind of rock out there. It’s remarkable how
balanced album because none of their songs
sound the same. Some of the members even
know how to play traditional Indian instru
ments such as the Tabla and the Sitar.”
Scott Towle, a disc jockey for “Open Book”
on AM 1580 KANM and a management infor
mation systems graduate student, said Canvas
is rotated regularly on his show.
“I like to focus on underground Texas rock
that is different and cutting edge,” Towle said.
“Canvas definitely fits the bill because they are
very unique — definitely not the cookie cutter
they take so many different influences and
make the result so homogenous.”
To completely experience Canvas' music,
Towle said listeners should attend a live per
formance.
“(The band) has an incredible stage pres
ence,” he said. “No matter how large the audi
ence is, they make it feel like a very intimate
setting. It is an experience rather than just a
concert. You end up watching and listening,
and completely focused on the stage.”
tls have ...
et up camera# in'! Mador\r\di defeated by
ndon weather,
ess reports claim
NDON (AP) - Is
love affair over
een Britain and
superstar it likes
:all Madge?
of gray areas welecent press reports
ance on so the allpned adopted
doner Madonna
decamped to Los
eles, defeated by
dreary English
lather.
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
11s, but if a t
:ameras would pn
, Magnussen said
seeking help in a
c; universities do
^ive all survei
>n to the general
nussen said.
d is the one to e
I on our take of
MADONNA
ecoming attorney
lonth, Abbott pi
stand as the
or open govei
But Madonna's spokeswoman said
; absence is only temporary.
She'll be back in London in the
ifing," Liz Rosenberg said Wednesday.
"Madonna has homes in thq States,
she has homes in England, and she
moves between the two."
A spokesman for Madonna's British
husband, Guy Ritchie, said the couple
split their time evenly between Britain
and the United States.
British newspapers reported this
month that Madonna had withdrawn
her 6-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from
a London school, and quoted the
singer as telling friends she was fed up
with "everything that is English."
One magazine quoted Madonna's
father-in-law, John Ritchie, as saying:
"Madonna is very happy to be out of
London because the harsh winter
weather was getting her down."
The reports of Madonna's depar
ture cheered some sections of the
British pre^s.
"Madonna the Brit," wrote
Thomas in Wednesday's Daily Mail, was
"a classic case of the rich, crass, clueless
American playing at English tradition."
How things have changed since the
singer married Ritchie - the 34-year-
old filmmaker behind the gangster
flicks "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking Barrels" — in December
2000 at a Scottish castle.
Madonna and Ritchie bought a
London house and a mansion in the
English countryside, where the vegetar
ian star briefly took up pheasant shoot
ing. Scottish tourist authorities even
gave her her own tartan as an anniver
sary gift.
But critics trashed Madonna's West End
acting debut in the satire "Up For Grabs"
last May. Ancj di^rihpfors decided not to
David release last year's "Swept AwaV" in Britain
after the film — directed by Ritchie and
starring Madonna as a spoiled socialite
marooned on a deserted island — failed
spectacularly in the United States.
Sarandon: Tired of
'anti-American' label
LONDON (AP) — Susan Sarandon said
she's weary of being labeled "anti-
American" because she's questioned the
Bush administration's policy toward Iraq.
The 56-year-old actress, well-
known for her political activism, said
there are many questions that need
to be asked about the prospect of a
war with Iraq.
"I'm tired of being labeled anti-
American because 1 ask questions,"^
she told reporters before t’Ke* pre
miere of her movie "The Banger -
Sisters," co-starring Goldie Hawn,
which was released in the United
States last year.
Sarandon also said she couldn't
understand why British Prime
Minister Tony Blair has shown so
much support for President Bush.
"What's happened to Blair? I don't
understand his reasoning or his logic.
1 don't understand his evolution," she
said. "I can see him being seduced by
Clinton but don't understand what he
and Bush speak about."
Hawn, 57, was less outspoken on
the prospect of a war with Iraq.
"I'm an optimist — I don't think
there will be one," she said.
LlOi
ief
w, Sports Editor
i, Sci/Tech Editor
’hoto Editor
na, Graphics Editor
Radio 1’roducer
y through Friday during^
iring the summer sess;
versity. Periodicals Pose?
. changes to The Batt#
111.
at Texas A&M Univers*!
lalism. News offices3?'
: Fax: 845-2647; W
nip or endorsement bj 1 '
tall 845-2696. Forc»
:eed McDonald, an
78.
Texas A&M student tot-
as 254. Mail subscript
50 for the summer orE
Express, call 845-2611
1% I ‘ %
Pi Wl
' f
m t > |
M
f
1
(S&ridcd Association
of the Brazos Valley
SlllllllS#
lj pgj p
A A: Ass ■; j
^^eddings MV dZ^aradise
The 2003 Bridal Show & Benefit
Sunday, February 2nd * 1 1:00 am - 4:00 pm
Reed Arena
Tickets are $ 10.00 and are available at TicketMaster,
MSC Box Office & Reed Arena
OVER 100 EXHIBITORS
The finest in wedding selections, services, supplies and much more.
FREE WEDDING GUIDE
To outline and organize your wedding
CONTINUOUS BRIDAL STYLE SHOW
On the same level as vendors
Proceeds to benefit The Brazos Valley Animal Shelter
www. i d o-i do.org