|
THE BATTALII
)S
ued from page!
n said it was tested
a Corps outfit wfe
is ranked second
om. This outfit is®
lire! overall in theCa;
her resource the cai
improve their grade?
faculty and staff ,
, Academic Volume;
Corps. Mallahan
lunteers meet will
n once a week a
i their progress. Sii
alunteers were raj
.t semester with SI
outstanding service
ram.
semester, freshmens
Mowed to participaie
ty organizations tin
/e they can handle tit
Vlallahan said.
is a regimen:
that requires yon
your time very earl)
:er,’' Mallahan said.
L'orps teaches time mi
and I think I will mi
itles because of it,’’si
iry, freshman cadet aa
engineering major,
icr issue kit.
d to keep the GFI
high is the problem
leeping in class. Je
junior chemistry»
ilogy major and tli
scholastics Sergei'
’orps has had profiler,
lets falling asleep i
id faculty member
frustration,
l'orps of Cadets hist
es professors to wi
in class," Miller said
Weddle, a seniork
•ngineering major,u;
of the O.R. Simp®
nor Society, an op
ithin the Corps wiki
s cadets who haveif
jPRs.
ugh the Corps'ictivr
lot of work, it mated
hen you do haveti®
you work harder
lid.
ms such as the hw
e an extra incentivef|
make good grades,
'orps of Cadets wreal
ng down this year m
doing well," Mallafiai
is school first
ond
Aggielife
The Battalion
Page 3 • Friday, September 19, 2003
Opening the Floodgate
A&M professors make musky balance responsibilities together in local band
By Tori Foster
THE BATTALION
As students head to Northgate or other favorite hangouts on
Friday night, many are looking to dance, meet with friends or
listen to music. But one of the last things a student would expect
to see is one of his professors jamming in a Northgate band.
Jim Cottrill, a political science professor, who also attends
graduate school at A&M pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and
plays in local band Floodgate.
“When I was an undergrad, if I had a professor playing in a
band I would have been curious to just go see them ” Cottrill
said. “Even if they weren't any good it would be fun to go laugh
at them”
Along with Cottrill, the lineup of the band includes Adam
Ferguson, who also teaches at A&M and is pursuing a Ph.D in
psychology; Mike Bender,
3d from page
o locate the bikes ait
ily way we can pro'i
said students on cat
et their bikes engravs
eir residence hi
nts need to lock tfc
perly by locking it
their bikes andn
jht a $40 bike
said. “I’ve been
h my bike. I keep set
around 'campus
i locked.”
those bikes belongs!
kick ley, who owns:
ourple bike meant
>. Brick ley, a fresh#:
idministration
'ought the $41
e knew no one els
e one similar. He $
save it unlocked wii
l to worry about
n.
ster to ride becauS
have to lock
;aid. “You can pai
just jump off and $
rification
rsday’s front pa
ahoto “Sign here,'
idameik is a senior
ty major.
who works at A&M as a
computer specialist;Toby
Kyte, also seeking a Ph.D in
psychology; Jeff Quinn, who
just left the band but is fea
tured on the current CD ;and
Craig Hanna, also a member
of the band Throwaway
People is replacing Quinn.
The band’s music is a mix
ture of rock and funk, with a
little bit of blues and country
all mixed together.
“We don’t sound like
anyone else in town so we
have something different,”
Cottrill said.
“For many people who
like rock music there are not
too many bands in this town
for them to go see. I think
,we are definitely an option
that people are really starting
to like, and people appreciate having an alternative.”
Floodgate will release its newest CD, “Anytown,” tonight at
Fitzwilly’s. The CD features 18 original tracks and 79 minutes
of music.
“We decided to name the CD ‘Anytown’ because people any
where can listen to the songs and imagine that there is a place
somewhere that these things are happening to someone,” Cottrill
said. “There are songs about things from relationships, people’s
problems, and even timely things like reality shows. We really
hope listeners will be able to relate to the lyrics.”
Floodgate’s performances are different at each time because
the members tend to make it up as they go to some extent.
“I think we have spontaneity and we like to jam a little bit,”
Cottrill said. “We’ve also got solos that are improvised so you
never know what you are exactly going to hear. Depending on if
it is big enough where we play, people will even get into the
music and start dancing.”
In the middle of production of the new CD, Quinn told band-
Usually, students
come and I think
they arekirulof
surprised because
they don t expect us
to be very good and
then we are. The
students keep coming
back and bringing
their friends, so it is
encouraging.
— Jim Cottrill
political science professor
and Floodgate keyboardist
Photo Courtesy of: |ANEAN MAMIN
Floodgate performs live at many local venues, like this performance at Texadelphia on Northgate.
mates he was quitting the act.
His adviser decided to move to Duke University and he
enjoyed working with her so much that he decided to follow her
there. The band managed to wrap up recording and production
so that it could close the chapter cleanly and on a good note,
Cottrill said.
The band will introduce its newest addition, Craig Hanna, at
the CD release party.
Hanna is also a member of the night’s opening band.
Throwaway People, and will be pulling a double-duty perform
ance Friday.
“Being an outsider to the CD, I can tell you that there is
something on it for everyone,” Hanna said. “No one is going to
be disappointed, yet there is still continuity through out the
whole thing.”
Frank Martinez, a psychology graduate student, has been listen
ing to Floodgate develop for the past three years.
Martinez likens Floodgate to a Texas electric blues band
weaned on a healthy dose of Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili
Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins, who rebelled and graduated to
the kaleidoscopic force that is Floodgate.
“A Floodgate show is always full of energy but at the same
time it allows you to sit back and enjoy the night of melodies
with an occasional cover song that comes out of left field,”
Martinez said.
With a mix of different instruments, Floodgate invents a dif
ferent form of music that is hard to find in College Station,
Martinez said.
“Mandolin, keyboards and a bass playing slide guitar style gives
Floodgate their unique flavor,” Martinez said. “Floodgate brings
to this city something that you won’t have to drive 100 miles to
either Austin or Houston to experience.”
As the band members finish graduate school, they are happy
to be playing in College Station which fits their music style and
they have a strong fan base, Ferguson said.
“I’ve played in the Austin music scene also and it is satu
rated,” Ferguson said. “In Austin there are a lot of really
good bands and people don’t really care. The club owners
have that opinion too. Here, the club owners value your con
tribution and it seems like the students are more likely to
give you a chance.”
Cottrill has invited his students to come see Floodgate’s per
formances and said he is happy to find them returning for more.
“Usually, students come and 1 think they are kind of sur
prised because the don’t expect us to be very good and then we
are,” Cottrill said. “The students keep coming back and bring
ing their friends, so it is encouraging.”
Even though playing in a band takes up a lot of the band
member’s time, they agree it has payoffs. They manage to bal
ance their classes, teaching and the band by making band prac
tice a fixture in their week.
“We say we are going to practice once a week and then you
carry it out. You just have to work hard on the days before and
after,” Cottrill said.
They payoff for their sacrificed time is what drives Flood
gate to keep going.
“It’s obvious that we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t
think we had a good product,” Cottrill said. “The best part is
when you hear someone that you don’t know say ‘wow’ and
other nice things. That is what makes it all worthwhile.”
LION
ef
luring tlie fall and spring sei»
ty holidays and exam peiiods)!!
0. POSTMASTER: Send addies
( 77843-1111.
liversity in the Division of Studei
I McDonald Building. Newsrooi
ttp://www.thebattalion.net
ment by The Battalion. For cat
ising.call 845-0569, Advett
y through Friday. Fax: 845-261J
idem to pick upasinglecopfof
(per school year, $30 fertile«
t Visa, MasterCard, Discover, v
Jewelers 4 Gemologists
522 UNIVERSITY DRIVE E • BETWEEN THE SUIT CLUB AND AUDIO VIDEO • 764-8786
5K FUN RUN
TEXAS A&M VETERAN'S
ASSOCIATION
Date: September 20, 2003
Place: Reed Arena
Time: 09:00 am
Pre-Register in room 224 of the Pavilion / V.A. Office
Price: Pre-Register - $15.00 / $20.00 Day of Race
for more race information check out our web site at:
http://tamuveterans.tamu.edu/5k.html
ATTENTION FACULTY, STAFF
and STUDENT LEADERS!
F.A.C.T. (First-time Aggie Contact Team) is a program where faculty,
staff and student leaders contact new Aggies to welcome them to the
University and ask about their experiences at A&M. F.A.C.T. will be
conducted Mondays through Thursdays, September 29-October 16
from6:00 - 9:00 PM.
Please volunteer your time to help our new Aggies feel at home. You
may sign up on-line at http://studentlife.tamu.edu/nsp/FACT or contact
Vanessa Roberts at 845-5826 in the Office of New Student Programs.
Thank you in advance for your time and commitment.
Office of New Student Programs) 1257 TAMU )
DENT PHONE (979) 845-5826, FAX [979] 862-1309
pp WWW http://studentlife.tamu.edu
* ...A Department in the Division of Student Affairs
Aggie Orientation
Leader frogram