Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 23, 1982, edition 1 / Page 39
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! Shr Daily (Ear Her! - if v. V7i J i r V Sr ' 4. Larry Cannon uses a map to draw laughs . .he executed his comic skills at Carrboro's Art School 'TTnTITI B1 By D.F. WILSON and RANDY WALKEU Staff Writers 'A short, pudgy-cheeked character with bouffant curls pushed above his forehead crept meekly onto the stage "We'll, uh, pay for ll, uh, cf this stuff," he mumbled into ths micro phone, pointing at crumbled pieces of ceiling tiles. Could this be the izzdczzn that only moments before h?.i tmnhed . the ccillr.z wifii his cuitd tsfcre .trashing it as well? As unlikely as it seems, it was. His name is John Romwcbcr, I::. 3 sir.cr.uitzrirt for .the IIKZIXS.sgg The Kamikazecs have recently been enjoyms local acclaim fcr their unique, hl;h-eacrgy, rock-a-billy sound. That, and the fact that they1 are all so yourj brir.3 them notice. Romweber is only 16. Besides Rcmwebcr's quirky, lie up vocals, the band abo features thi reverb-twang guitar sound cf Eric West Peterson, 17, th: star. bss of Tons Mayer, 15, and f..2 drum- .-.-Even though1 It sc.ms that their youth would be an cdvar.tr . sams of the band members clai.n it has its drawbacks as well. "After we finish ryi-M a club, we have to leave," s:.';d RcrrAcber. ' "We're too younj to harj rroiml" . Though the Kamikrrtirs 1. ivj t :-:n together for two y?;rs, ta.-y 1 ave on ly played four times v.i.h t! z rr::;r.t line-up. Their musical i:-.z L;i aloO Charged since the ' 4 We used to play ( R ".b zni in strumentals like the Ventures," said Mayer. "We also u:;;d to bs really into Kiss." "We don't like the rclice or DTHAI Steele T1 i i 1 M j ACDC and v,e got real psyched about rock-a-b-illy," Mayer continu ed. "If the kids we go to school with would listen to the music we listen to, they'd like it too." The Kamikazecs have a single coming out in the fall including a cover cf a Denny Joy song, "Steady with 1! .tty," and an as-yet-unnamed 1 Monday, August 23, 1982 Art School Ii)weae ByLEAHTALLEY Arts Editor Jacques and Amy Menache had sim pler goals in mind in 1974. . "They started across the street in a loft iOom," Maria Evans said, sitting in her small, cluttered Carr Mill Mall office actually, it's only a desk against the wall. Evans is assistant director of the Carr boro Art School. Six years ago, the Menaches began the Art School, offering two classes, drawing and painting, with 36 students. "Then various artists came by and asked to do their thing when they weren't teaching classes," Evans said. For example, Touch, the mime trio, was an early Art School contributor. "It started snowballing after a couple of years until it was bursting at the seams," Evans said. Then the Art School relocated in the Old Alberta Mill. Since 1974, the school has grown the current curriculum offers 49 courses, taught by 30 teachers to more than 500 students. And the occasional mime or poet who would use the Menaches'. loft for his or her per formances has grown into a diversified group of artists. "What we are is an overall umbrella organization for many other small pro grams," Evans said. The Art School is an aspiring artist's dream, offering exposure to the public. This situation works for the public also. " You can imagine when you have a reggae film, poetry reading or a fund raising event, the different audiences you have for each," Evans said. "We try to reach everyone. It's a real mixed bag of entertainment but the goal is the same: exposure of the arts." "In one given year, probably 60,000 people come in and out of here," Evans added. That includes artists and teachers as well as patrons of the Art School's ser-, vices. 'rrr '-vvv The Art School offers 10 different pro grams to the community: the Gallery Theatre, Touch, the mime trio, the Poet's Exchange, the Gallery, the Children's Theatre Fund, the Community Dance Theatre, the Actors Co-Op, the Commit tee for Arts and the Handicapped, the Photo Co-Op, and the Senior Citizens Meet Your Neighbor Club. In addition to these established programs, the Art School has various concert, film and the ater series as well as outdoor festivals. While mamtaining this diversity, the school manages to keep prices at a rea sonable level to remain accessible to Si.--yt t fOt 0 - . i Tfto Kcmikozcss perform z iho CzVo CrcdlD .the group has been growing in popularity with its innovative stylo original. The band also plans to move on to other areas, such as At lanta and New York City. So catch them while you can, and if you cam They spend almost as much time running among the audi ence as they do whooping and amp jumping on stage. Another young band enjoying ac 'AINMENT Members of the Milk Duds sing at Hot Summer Open Mike Night . .act is part of Carrboro Art's School weekly smorgasbord of local talent everyone. For example, open poetry read ings are free to the public. The poet's ex change will offer readings of poetry at 8 p.m. on Sept. 19, Oct. 24 and Nov. 28. Reduced prices to all paid events are offered to Art School members. Annual memberships are now available at $10 for children, students and senior citizens, $20 for adults and $25 for families. Reduced prices are available for Carrboro resi dents. Membership includes a 25 percent discount on all classes, and inclusion on the mailing list.: -I zi. :'z '.'r.r v v- -';:--f:-'- ""We keep prices down because our seats are not soft," Evans said. "We don't have plush luxuries. "We are a grass roots organization, a place where things begin. The same space is used for many things," Evans said. "It's total juxtaposition of the arts." One fairly large room serves nearly all of the school's functions. Prints from the cur rent Gallery exhibit hang on the simple white walls of the main hall. Against the left wall are a refrigerator that looks like your grandmother's antique model and beer taps for the Draught House Cinema. A stage for theatre and concerts is to the V3 7. J J 0 4 s claim as well as commercial success is the PRESSURE COYS. Comprised of John Plymale, 18, on vocals and tromboneGreg Stafford, 18, on saxophone, .Rob Xadd, 18, on drums, Neil Barry, 18, on keyboards and trumpet, David BIythe, 19, on bass and Bryon Settle, 23, on guitar, the Pressure 'Boys have been playing III j right, as is a screen for films. The film projector is at the back of the room. But the atmosphere is not a crowded, junky one. "It's a vibrant place," Evans said. "It never stops." Evans hopes the Art School will never be forced to close. But there are only two paid staff members, Executive Director Jacques Menache and Evans, 'and two volunteers, full-time aide Joy Metelits and accountant Hugh Claudy, to run the gamut of 4he -school's services. ; But the fact remains that it take money to keep any Organization running. "People see a full house and think we're making money," Evans said. "But a case of toilet paper is $30. And how are we going to pay for that? And rent is $1,200 per week to keep these doors open." In addition to earned income, which accounted for 45 percent of the total 1980 income, the Art School relies on individ uals, the town of Carrboro, the National Endowment for the Arts and the N.C. Arts Council for contributions and grants, Evans said. g eioi '.'r-'S.y.rSfSfSxrr'SA s ' 3 ' ... $.':Y; DTrt'Scott Shaepe t if f ;v ' u. .... : 5 1 professionaDy since November of 1931. When they began, most of their material was ska cover tunes by groups like Madness and the Er.rjiih Beat. How they began, though, is the more interesting aspect of their career. Though the nucleus of the band Area Theatre page 4 Alternative Cinema page 6 Carless? page 8 " l - " M DTHAI Steele The Art School recently received finan cial aid from the Monsanto Fund and Central Carolina Bank. But in the last year, Evans said that the Art School has relied more heavily on scheduling its own fund-raising events. "It's working well. A lot of our events are cabaret style," Evans said. For ex ample, the Art School serves beer at the Draught House Cinema hoping to attract larger audiences in this notorious beer drinking area. "We're also starting to get a lot of sup port from the community with mutual sponsorship of programs," Evans said. Hot Summer Open Mike Nights is one successful co-sponsored program, with the aid of WQDR radio. This Monday night affair offers a showcase for local talent. Any entertainment from musi cians to stand-up comics to harmonica, players can perform by simply signing up beforehand with the Ar School. See ARTS on page 5 had been in the works for more than a year, the band didn't get a gig until Mondo Combo cancelled a weekend at the Cat's Cradle. Mondo's drum mer at the time, Sara Romweber, had heard the band and asked them to fill in for them. . "The folks at the Cradle went en-' tirely on Sara's word," said Ply male. "We owe Mondo Combo a lot." After that, the word spread and . their next two consecutive jobs were at the Station and at the Pier, open ing for the Fabulous Knobs. "We really owe a lot to several area bands," said Plymale. "Debra DeMilo has done us favors on many occasions. 'We know we got a lucky break," Plymale continued. "We've had breaks that bands who have been playing for years haven't had." Besides their local jobs, the Pres sure Boys have done quite a few gigs in Charlotte v and Greenville and other towns on the "1-85 circuit." The Pressure Boys' material now includes a wealth of original songs in the ska tradition half written, by Settle, and the other half by Plymale . tunc! Ld'ci - Besides an EP on their own label which should be out in six to eight months, the Pressure Boys are also planning a video that should be shot within the next month or so. Although all the band members except Settle are presently enrolled at UNC, Plymale says that they are all willing to put their education on hold. .;, "We're all real confident," he said. "We're not sure exactly what we have to do, but the big push is coming this spring." Plymale also said they might move from the area. See BANDS on page 6 f t 1 ! 1 r
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 23, 1982, edition 1
39
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