Page A2
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
ThePiiot
News
EVOKA a
good st^rt
for fall ’07
By Christopher Shj\ ei • j
hht staff'^LTSirr j
fhi' Back To Schtiol i
Bash Aug. 22 ga\ c stu- j
dcnt^ a chance to ccttch up ^
after a iuinmcr aw.iy. .ind ,
L'iuse into the scmc'-n;!. i
StiuloiKs gdlticiL’d in
f]ie quad near the patio of
> (). Ciarcincr Mail al-
; ter dinner for the e\ent
fhi,’ Wfgi;. i1k- iipcn- _
t mg band, goi the crowd ,
leady for EiVOK/^, whith ,
' IS Ironted by (}Wl. giad- >
uatu Hiylot Kcdditis j
■ FVOKA. based nut of i
I Lewisville, iicppcd ivito
, the jiaiio and staiicJ o)V
■ with a hai>2. playin'; what
sounded like a comhin.i-,
tion of a sorter \ciMon
^ (>t Iticiihus iind I ? '^iili
I the bruid’!. ow n tw i-il 1 he
; Kind pla>i,'d sons;s liom
I us album "Cries lioin
j I he Castlcgatc Finp-rc ”
I This incUided inetno-
: laMe songs suuh is “Si
lent Actor's" and ’'Daii-
; phine " 'I he closiri" song. ■
I “Oyuig tp Save.” lolt ihe
, iiiidicnce wantmi.' moie
Bui. aficr the laM rotei
echoed thtoughoui the i
quad, the band patked up '
and let ihc setnesiL' -tari.
A few words with Taylor Redding of EVOKA
By Christopher Shaver
Pilot staff writer
CS: Where did the name
EVOKA come from?
TR: I was just trying to
think of something different.
I was trying to think of
something creative, and it
kind of just happened. I was
away one summer doing an
internship, and I was sitting
down with a pen and paper
trying to think of new band
names that I could start a
project with. It just started
out with The EVOKA
Project, and we started to
get categorized with a lot of
emo bands because the band
had the word “projecf ’ in it.
So we decided to shorten it
to EVOKA.
CS: What are some of
your influences?
TR: We listen to a lot of
British music like U2.
We’re also big fans of a'
band called Ours, a band
called Elbow from overseas.
Embrace and Coldplay.
We’re influenced by a
variety of bands.
CS: What is the message
you want to send to
listeners?
TR: To appreciate life.
I think that’s the theme
behind all of our music. I
mean there are mistakes
we’ve made and lessons
to be learned but when it
comes down to it, there’s
more to life than what we
get caught up in. So we just
want people to enjoy life.
There’s beauty all around
us.
CS: Are you all a
“Christian Band?”
TR: C.S. Lewis had a
quote, “The world doesn’t
need more Christian artists,
but more artists that are
Christian.” We try to take it
that direction. People may
not like it, but we try to be
real so that we can connect
with everyone and not just
the Christian audience.
CS: Is touring as
glamorous as people like
to think it is?
TR: Luckily we have a
big white van. It’s not so
glamorous, but it’s what we
love to do. It’s a sacrifice
at times being away from
home and your family, but
it’s something we love to do
and what we’re passionate
about. We’re all good
friends. We don’t push each
other’s buttons too often.
CS: What’s the best part
about touring?
TR: Meeting new fans.
I think one of the coolest
things is when people
connect with your music,
and appreciate what you do.
And that quite often makes
up for the lack of pay that
comes along with it.
CS: How is the pay?
TR: It fluctuates. College
shows are great. We had
one show in Pennsylvania
where one guy promised us
an X amount of dollars, and
when we finished playing
he decided he wasn’t going
to pay us that because not
as many people showed up
as he thought. So we kind
of sucked it up and kept
driving down to Chicago.
The guy said, “I don’t know
what you’re talking about
with a paid guarantee.” I
never promise any of my
bands any money. Those
were a few bad days, but it
all worked itself out.
CS: Where do you hope
the band will be in the
next 10 years?
TR: We hope to make a
career out of it. As long as
we’re not on “Entertainment
Tonight” rehab specials or
anything like that. It seems
so popular these days.
CS: If you could say
anything to anyone who
wants to pursue a career
in music, what would you
say?
TR: I would say its one of
those things you have to be
passionate about, because
like I said, it takes a lot of
time and a lot of sacrifice
financially and family wise.
If you feel that call to make
music, it’s one of those
things that can’t be stopped.
I come fi-om the mentality
of going all in. So when I
got out of school I decided
that’s what I was going to
do. And I don’t regret it one
bit. It’s been rewarding, just
not financially right now.
But make music because it
makes you happy. That’s the
main thing.
CS: Have you talked with
anyone about record
deals?
TR: They’ve been hit or
miss. I say no right now, but
then tomorrow we might get
a phone call. At the moment,
no.
CS: How did you all get
from being a smaller band
to opening for The Fray?
TR: It’s a stepping process.
It starts with a song, and
the next step is playing
live. Then you start to get
a buzz going, and you end
up making new contacts
and new fi'iends. People
will start opening doors for
you. It’s a very relational
business. You never know
what new person you meet
one night may have a family
member on down the line
that manages band members
or something like that.
We’ve been pretty fortunate
in that sense.
CS: What’s your normal
job?
TR: Construction. Yeah,
I actually graduated from
Gardner-Webb about five
or six years ago with a
communications
I’m doing absolutely
nothing with it. [laughs]
It was a good experience
though, but yeah, I work
with my dad’s company
doing construction during
the day. It pays the bills
when the band doesn’t.
CS: How long have you all
been together as a band?
TR: I think it’s starting to
approach seven years. It
actually started the summer
of my junior year, and
during my senior year we
decided to record an album.
CS: How did you meet the
other band members?
TR: Actually our drummer
played for Clayton King, but
I followed their band around
and did the roadie thing for
a while and did everything
to be around some rock and
roll. When they broke up, I
came to him and said, “Hey
I have some songs I’ve
been writing. Would you be
interested in picking up with
me when you get a chance?”
And Pete was actually in a
band that was called Dirt
Poor Authority, and they
played at Gardner-Webb
quite a bit. He played guitar
for them, and we recruited
him for bass. Actually, Price
went the route I went. He
was traveling around with
us, selling merch and all.
We were friends before, and
when a position opened up,
he was our first choice.
Georgio’s offers hungry folks a tasty choice of Mediterranean fare
By Ashley Chatham
Special to The Pilot
Restaurants in Boiling Springs
will have a run for their money
now that Georgio’s has opened at
the comer of Main Street and Col
lege Avenue.
This modestly sized, satisfying
new restaurant is run and owned
by brothers Ilias “Louie” and lo-
annis “John” Tsambounieris who
have turned the former Uptown
Cafe into a restaurant the serves
Mediterranean-Greek-Italian cui
sine. They also own and run the
Snack Shop.
Louie, who is also the chef, has
indulged his particular tastes to an
almost extreme degree. The ex
tensive menu has multiple choices
from seafood, steaks, veal, chick
en entrees, pizza, calzones, subs,
calamari, caviar salad and much
The first feature of the restau
rant that captures attention from
the street are the intricate wood
doors with “Georgio’s” carved
into them. When entering, the first
noticeable things are the smell of
Italian food and the romantic glow
coming from the pendant lights.
The restaurant is divided into
two dining rooms: the front for
smaller parties and the back room
for larger groups.
There is a familiar Greek at-
inosphere with overhanging ar
bors decorated with grape vines,
which creates the entire scene for
the main room. There are also dec
orative spices lined on all the win
dowsills and the dividing wain
scoted wall with elaborate railing.
There are also two televisions
hung for the customer’s entertain
ment, but with the sound low, they
are not too distracting. Soft music
fills the room
The waitresses and waiters are
very informative, polite and pa
tient. Employees are always smil
ing and help other staff member’s
with their customers, as well.
The busboys also work very
hard clearing and cleaning the
tables. They also refill drinks and
check on food orders.
There are always two hostess
es working at all times and they
sometimes walk around the din
ing areas asking customers if they
need anything.
One thing that captured my at
tention was not only did the wait
ress keep my glass full, but if she
noticed that my drink became wa
tered down she replaced it with a
new drink without my asking.
The menu has so many choices
that it almost takes longer to or
der than it does to get your food.
The menu thoroughly explains
what each dish is and has a sec
tion with a full description of the
restaurant’s homemade sauces.
We started our meal with an ap
petizer of fried mozzarella sticks
and a dinner salad. The mozzarel
la sticks came to our table directly
from the fiyer and were served
with marinara sauce. The balsam
ic vinaigrette on the dinner salad
was the best I have ever eaten.
The first dish was the Santini
Veal Marsala ($13.95) with five
tender medallions of veal sauteed
with mushrooms in a delicious
santini marsala sauce, all over lin-
guini. The entree was very large
and could have been split between
two people.
The next entree was the Tour
of Italy ($15.95). This generous
combination of chicken parmesan,
fettuccini alfredo and lasagna was
my favorite entree. The freshly
made marinara sauce was excel
lent.
The last meal to come out was
the 10-inch, two-topping pizza
($8.00) with beef and pepperoni.
There were generous portions of
cheese and meat on this pizza,
which tasted like perfection.
After the plates were quickly
cleared, out came dessert. The
waitress brought out a large
slab of baklava ($3.50), which
is a flaky pastry with cinnamon,
honey and walnuts. It was defi-
ni^'ely a collaboration of flaky
goodness.
Georgio’s is a very clean res
taurant with exceptionally clean
restrooms. It is well decorated
and the customers seemed pleased
with the quality and generous por
tions of food.
Each customer seemed to
exit with a box of leftovers from
the evening. When you go to eat
there, make sure you arrive with
an empty stomach.
Opinions
A good year Is all about balance wisdom on wheels
Rebecca Clark
Pilot Editor
To me, the beginning of every semester
reminds me of a blank sheet of paper, or the
first snowfall of winter, or a good book just
cracked open to the first page.
It is fresh and unmarred, with all kinds
of possibilities that I might track across its
surface or discover between the lines. The
pencils are sharpened, the notebook empty
and the zipper still works on my book bag.
At the beginning of the semester, every
thing still lies ahead.
This fall, as I join the flock of students
arriving on campus, like the geese overhead
winging their way to warmer climates, I find
myself facing the task of learning how to bal
ance.
Like most students here on the Gardner-
Webb University campus, I know that the
life of a college student is more than just
lectures and labs and midterm exams, it is
also about mastering the art of balancing.
We must balance study time with social
time; work time with free time; sleep time
with eat time; and so on and so forth.
As a senior, I have learned the basics.
However, this year I find myself attempting
to juggle a few more balls in the air. Not
only am I a part-time student, I am also a
GWU employee (secretary of the Graduate
School), editor of The Pilot, and most im
portantly, the mother of Natalie, the most
charming 6-month-old ever.
With all these roles, time management
has become a vital skill to learn and micro-
managing the hours in a day a necessary
act.
As a commuter student, I am not able to
be closely involved in campus life, so I am
thankflil to be a part of The Pilot staff. It gives
me the chance to enjoy time with other GWU
students as well as keep in tune with the hap
penings on campus.
And so, as I forge through all the assign
ments and responsibilities, and I begin to
create a fresh page in this semester, I wish
all GWU students a great year and I hope
you find your balance!
The Pilot
Nancy-Pat Dire
Faculty Advisor
Rebecca Clark
Editor and Chief
“The Doc”
Designer
Haley Black
Photo Editors
Jacob Conley
Sports Editor
Jared Graf
Kory McNair
Christopher Shaver
Staff Writers
_Ashle^^arte£and__Saraiane_^^
Kate Gazaway
Jessica Jones
Tyler Kucifer
Rachel Tucker
Staff Photographers
Phone Number:
704-406-3533
P.O. Box 5192
pilot@gardner-
webb.edu
By Jacob Conley
Pilot editoralist
I am probably far from
the first to do so, but I want
to take a minute to welcome
you back to Gardner-Webb
University. If you are a
freshman, congratulations:
You are now a member of
the best student body in the
country.
To quote the knight
from “Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade,” “ You chose
wisely.”
Now that you’re here in
the great metropolitan area
of Boiling Springs, the next
logical question is “What
now?”
Because I am enter
ing my sixth year at GWU
(that’s right, I was a fresh
man way back in the pre
historic, murky past known
as 2002), I would like to of
fer some tips for a success-
fial and fulfilling career at
GWU.
1. Take care of busi
ness in the classroom. That
means putting your sched
ule on your Time Tracker
and sticking to it. Also,
whenever possible, do not
wait until the last minute to
complete your assignment.
Most importantly, you
need to get to know your
professors. They are more
than willing to help with
Conley
any ques
tions or
problems
that might
arise. Re
member
they want
you to suc
ceed, not
fail.
2. Get involved. As
important as academics are,
normally a student only
spends an average of 15
hours a week in the class
room. That leaves plenty
of hours during the week
to do other things. So get
involved with clubs and or
ganizations around campus
like the Dawg Pound, Stu
dent Government Associa
tion or Campus Ministries,
just to name a few.
Getting involved is a
great way to meet people
and make our university a
better place
3. Don’t run away
from the geese. Doing so
will just cause them to come
after you with increased fe
rocity. Simply be the big
ger goose. Face them, hiss
and flap your arms. This
strategy may cause people
to stare, but it is effective. I
know fi-om experience.
4. Eat in the caf. That
nasty smell is coming from
behind, not inside, the caf,
so ^jve it a try. The food is
excellent 95 percent of the
time, and the staff are some
of the nicest and most dedi
cated people on campus.
So take some time to get to
know them. It will be just
as satisfying as anything
you will find on the grill.
5. Show your Bulldog
pride at athletic events.
Let the student athletes at
GWU know that you ap
preciate their efforts and
dedication. GWU will be
facing some of the biggest
names in college sports this
year, so the teams need as
much fan support as pos
sible. We may not all be
blessed enough to represent
GWU on the field or court,
but we all can do so fi'om
the stands
6. Enjoy the ride. Be
fore you know it, this roll
ercoaster ride called college
will be over. Whether it be
in four or six years, one day
graduation will come and
you will leave GWU having
learned lessons both inside
and outside of the class
room.
Sure, there will be times
that make you yell and
scream with excitement,
and times you can’t wait to
get out. So strap yourself in
and hold on tight because,
most of all, life as a college
student at GWU will be a
ride you will never forget.