NEWS
THE BATTALION
NEWS IN BRIEF
r-party arrests
jde 4 robbers
iwing the Creel
iad step show after-partf
ay, four Dallas-area men
arrested for aggravated
y; police say they stole
51,115.
arsity Police Department
>r Bob Wiatt said thefovr
-ere taken into custodyfoi
y and marijuana posses-
larges.
t documents said the four
ipproached two men in
ed parking lot and asked
f they had change for j
ill.
nen said they did not have
, which prompted oneol
ailants to point a handgun
i and demand money,
said the two men gave
aspects between 589(1
,115.
said a tip led police to
amada Inn on Texas
;, where the two men
ed the four men who had
them.
ge Station police arrested
en early Sunday morning
he after-party, sponsored
Kappa Alpha Psi fraterni-
v out of control making
•bery one of several inci-
hat night.
i gunshots were fired in
behind Reed Arena and
ikies were burglarized
C. Rollie White Coliseum,
tion, several fights broke
d there were reports ol
id alcohol use, Wiatt said,
ather
nued from page 1
ciscape management
id dry sand in high traffic
i campus Tuesday so stu-
faculty and staff would
on any ice that formed in
- around campus,
lokesman for the Texas
nent of Transportation
idents should be careful
aveling this week,
the roads around A&M
mi. but the bridges and I
ses have been swdd" [
I. “Students shouMbt
and take a little extra
iving home.”
is State Highways 6,21
, as well as Farm-to-
roads 60 and 1687
I closures due to icy con-
late Tuesday night,
high for Tuesday, 34
. was the lowest this year
le Jan. 12 high of 39
, Herzog said.
University of Texas and
University canceled
Tuesday due to severe
conditions, according to
:b sites.
irding to The Associated
leet fell in Austin late
and left 11,000 people
power because of wind
The outages started al
n. and all service was
by midnight Monday.
is-Fort Worlli
ional Airport had
us cancelations, witli
m Airlines canceling
alf of their departures,
ight cancellations and
/ere expected.
BATTALION
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The Battalion Page 3 • Wednesday, February 26, 2003
May the best band win
Six local bands compete for studio time, top award at Club Concept tonight
PHOTO COURTESY OF CONCEPT
Lesermor (above) will perform tonight at Club Concept. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at the door.
By Nishat Fatima
THE BATTALION
When talented musicians, a premier concert
venue and the radio station 103.9 The X come
together, they form the X Bands Showcase and
Awards Show.
The show will be staged tonight at 8 p.m. in
Club Concept. Six bands will compete for studio
time and two opening slots for the nationally noto
rious MTV humor show “Jackass.” The event also
includes a CD release party for the local band
TwoSpy. Other bands scheduled for the event are
Oddstar Experiment Skylar Blue, Letter, Space
Camp Dan. Passerby and TwoSpy’s co-headliner,
Lesermor.
C.K. Chin, co-manager of Club Concept, said
he wants to establish his club as a premier rock
concert venue.
“We want to be the venue in College Staion
that great musicians from all over come to perform
at,” he said. “By hosting rock concerts, we want to
get a good reputation so we can attract bigger
bands to come and perform at the club.”
Chin said several criteria will be used in judging
the bands.
“The foremost aspect that we look for in these
bands is their ability to draw a crowd,” he said.
“They also have to be good self promoters because
an act needs to know how to sell itself to attract
crowds. We are also judging on the basis of stage
presence, vocal ability and crowd reaction.”
Beau Bishop, bass player for Lesermor, said
the band wanted to expand its College Station
fan base, one of the reasons it chose to be part
of the showcase.
“We love the crowds in College Station
because they are always very welcoming and
energetic,” he said. “We also love to perform at
Club Concept since we know some of the people
who are involved with the club, and the atmos
phere there is awesome.”
Bishop said Lesermor is ultimately looking for
ways to spread the word about its music.
“A lot of times local bands are in it simply for
the fun of it or to have something to do on the
weekends ” he said. “In Lesermor we are very seri
ous about our music because it is something that
iFfall love to do. As a band, we all have set goals
and aspirations and there are places that we want to
be in a few years. We have a businesslike approach
to our music. Being a part of the band showcase is
a step closer to reaching our target.”
Justin Hawkins, lead singer for alternative rock
band Oddstar Experiment, said that although his
band members are taking the competition seriously,
they are in it for the fun.
“We try to move with our music,” said
Hawkins, a junior speech communications major.
“It would be really awesome if we won, because
we would be able to reach out to a lot more people
that haven’t heard of us before. In the end, we real
ly just want to have fun and make sure that our
audience has a great time at our live show. We
don’t approach our music like a job. We just want
everybody to enjoy themselves.”
Hawkins said Emo rock fans will have some
thing to look forward to at the showcase.
“We like to use a variety of styles to make
our music,” he said. “One genre that is domi
nant in our music is Emo rock because our main
influences are bands like Weezer, Jimmy Eat
World, Finch and Julianna Theory. We like to
mix it up with Indie and alternative rock. We
hope that our formula strikes a chord with the
audience and judges.”
Eitel Goldberg, drummer for Letter and a jun
ior biology major, said preparation for the com
petition has included a grueling schedule for the
past month.
“Just within the past few weeks, we have done
many live shows and have been trying to get the
word out about our band ” he said. “We traveled to
Austin for a show at The Vibe on 6th street, we did
several shows in the Engine Room in Houston and
we have been having a lot of rigorous band prac
tice for the show. The X showcase will be our first
live show in College Station, and we are very excit
ed about it.”
Goldberg said the band decided to take the
opportunity of being in the showcase after hearing
about it from a friend.
“Right when we heard about the bands show
case and the prizes that it had to offer, we
thought it would be a great opportunity to get
our band some exposure,” he said. “We have a
unique sound that is crazy and funky, but heavy
at the same time. It’s a lot like the styles of 311,
Tool, Incubus and Deftones all fused together
and its sounds very different. We really hope to
win, especially since the studio time will really
help out our project to come out with a full-
length disc soon.”
Daniel Chapman, bass player for Space Camp
Dan said his band appreciated the event because it
promotes local bands.
“We were approached to be in the showcase
after a promoter for the club saw one of our per
formances and immediately said ‘yes’,” said
Chapman, a sophomore business major. “The show
is a great opportunity for bands like us to get expo
sure because its not an expensive show and it sup
ports of lot of other great local bands that College
Station has to offer. We really want to spread rock
music around College Station and be a part of any
thing that promotes indie bands.”
Chapman said Space Camp Dan adds old
school rock to its all Aggie rock sound for a raw
appeal, but they is still evolving.
“We are mainly an upbeat rock band with all of
our members having diverse musical influences,”
he said. “We like to use a lot of retro styles that
reflect our common love of older bands like Jeff
Buckley, Bob Marley, Beastie Boys and Red Hot
Chili Peppers and new bands like Taking Back
Sunday and MXPX. For some of our members
even their onstage behavior reflects their musical
influences, which adds a really great element for
our lives shows.”
Kody Kuehn, a senior psychology major and
member of alternative trio Skylar Blue, said his
band is mainly in it for the exposure.
“Since College Station is so saturated with tra
ditional country and folk bands, its really hard for
rock bands to break through,” he said. “Events like
this help bands get their names out there.”
Kuehn said Skylar Blue, formerly known
as Liquid Youth, will add a spiritual touch to
the showcase.
“Through our music, we try to emphasize
aspects of life that we think are important and con
stant such as family, friends and faith,” Kuehn said.
Lacey Mosley, lead singer for heavy rock band
Passerby, said the band hopes to reach a larger
audience through its performance.
“Our sound is like Incubus mixed with Rage
Against the Machine except with a female lead
singer,” she said. “We strive to create a sound that
is original. I think by using female vocals in our
songs we get more attention from people. But we
don’t think that attention will necessarily help us
win the competition though, because music has to
be good for people to respect it.”
TwoSpy opens concert
and releases new CD
By Nishat Fatima
THE BATTALION
While some Aggies spend quiet evenings
indoors, Eric Loftis, Russell Wedelich,
Ryan McLawhon and Trent Foley don’t
have a lot of quiet time. Collectively, they
form the indie-rock band TwoSpy. With
musical equipment piled ceiling high, studio
gear sprawled across their living room, and
guitars and amps finely tuned, they invite
friends over to watch them practice.
McLawhon, a senior speech communica
tions major and lead vocalist, said his love
for listening to music evolved into a love of
creating it.
“In high school, I listened to bands such
as the Dave Mathews Band and Vertical
Horizon,” he said. “As it turned out, the
music we make now sounds nothing like
those bands. I thought they were amazing
musicians and they inspired me to create
music of my own. I started to play with
Trent (Foley) who had played guitar for
several years, and basically that's where the
band got started.”
In a rather unconventional change of
hobbies, Wedelich, a senior electrical engi
neering major and bass player for the band,
said playing music was a daring addition to
his list of favorite pastimes, which included
math and science.
“Most of my life I fit the stereotypical
description of a nerd," he said. "Although I
liked music, for a long time I just automati
cally thought I wouldn't be good at it. Once
1 started to play I realized that it was just
another language that I understood. I took
the chance and it proved to be a good idea
because now I love being in the band.”
See TwoSpy on page 4
PHOTO COURTESY OF CONCEPT
TwoSpy will open for the X Bands Showcase and
launch its new CD tonight at 8 p.m. at Club Concept.
• • <
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