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©fy* Bail}} ©ar Hrrl Dreams Come True in ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’ What do you do when your dream con flicts with your reality? Do you risk going for the dream, or do you give it up? Stephen Herek’s latest film, “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” attempts to answer these questions with a musical perspective. Richard Dreyfuss stars as Glenn Hol land, a musician who has always dreamed of composing his own symphony but has been forced to spend his life in more mundane ways to make ends meet. Af ter being on the BRIAN TRUITT Mom Renew “Mr. Holland's Opus' A road for 10 years playing at clubs, bar mitzvahs and weddings, he accepts a job as a music teacher at a high school. Holland thinks that by being a teacher, he will have enough flee time to devote to finishing his work. Of course, it does not turn out to be that easy. Holland quickly becomes frustrated by his students' lack of willingness to leam. Anna 00 Began in Calculus, Now Major Local Player BYBRENTSIMEN STAFF WRITER It all began innocently enough in a high school classroom far, far away. No doubt inspired by the impenetrable language of mathematics, the seeds were laid for what would later become Anna . “This entire band is based around calcu lus, now that I think about it, ” singer Mitch Bennett said. “Maybe that even explains the name.” Lee Richards, Woody Sullender and, for a short time, Bennett, all shared in the joys of numeric problem-solving before Bennett headed to Plano, Texas for his senior year of high school. “We used to just skip class and go jam, ” said Sullender of he and Richards after Bennett’s departure. AyearpassedbeforeSullender, the only freshman of Anna's foursome, followed his ex-high school mates to UNC. He then got to know Bennett better and was even tually introduced to Matt Blanchard, who rounds out the band’s cast. In fall 1995, the quartet began to prac tice, playing together and laying down Some Bright Spots in Depressing Year for Rock Music BY TODD ITO STAFF WRITER Despite a lot of great albums this year in dance music (Aphex Twin, Chemical Brothers), hip-hop (The Roots, The Pharcyde) and jazz (all those Impulse remasterings), I chose to take the easy way out and list my top 10 “rock” releases for 1995. Although it’s considered a thin year for music, these 10 records still managed to put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. 1. Charalambides - Market Square (Siltbreeze): This minimalist psychedelic trio came out of Texas to release one of the most beautiful and challenging albums of the year. The singer’s lovely voice floats above the deftly played guitars to create an amaz ing and truly unique sound unmatched by most bands in rock today. 2. Yo La Tengo - Electr-o-Pura (Mata dor): This trio have been around since the mid ’Bos and are a true rarity in rock. They actually improve with every album they release. Due to Ira Kaplan’s skilled guitar work and his and wife Georgia Hubley’s gorgeous voices, this disc has rarely left my CD player since its release in May. 3. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Wormed By Leonard (Thwart): This is a reissue of their first cassette from 1988. That this record still sounds amazingly fresh seven years after its initial release is proof enough that the Thinking Fellers are the best rock band in the world at the present time. 4. The Dirty Three - s/t (Touch & Go); Sad & Dangerous (Poon Village): These two Eat here downtown OP We ll prpprD’C DELIVER varsity I CL \ \ LL IN. D 969-7265 ,heatre A daily 4pm-12 967-7766 YXZ-CJK 102 e. main st. carrboro easy access carry-out Crook’s Corner * Fine Southern Dining mM * Ol Sunday Brunch 10:30 - 2:30 pm 610 W. Franklin St. Chapel Hill, NC Although it takes over 30 years, he eventu ally teaches his students to follow their own dreams and ends up changing many of their lives in the process. Most of the conflict in the movie centers on music. Holland’s wife, Iris, played by Glenne Headly, supports Mr. Holland’s dreams but does not realize the strong grip music has on her husband’s life. But when the Hollands’ son, Coltrane (named after John Coltrane, the jazz saxophonist), be comes deaf after a freak occurrence during a parade, Glenn and Iris’ lives change forever. Mr. Holland is devastated that his son will never be able to hear music, and he tries to protect Coltrane by not exposing him to music. This tactic, however, only causes the boy to grow up to be an angry young man and causes Iris to be frustrated that Mr. Holland spends more time with his students than with his own son. Dreyfuss gives an excellent perfor mance, bringing both humor and passion to a very complex role. Mr. Holland’s life, some of Bennett’s lyrics when they settled on a memorable jam. “I think our biggest claim to fame is that we’re the only band to ever actually get kicked out of a Unitarian church, ” Richards said, referring to their first practice haven. “Yeah, Unitarians love pretty much everyone except us, I think, ” Bennett added. After several months together, a late November “UNC Battle of the Bands” landed Anna a three-way tie for first and a little more exposure. With Sullender on guitar, Richards on drums, Blanchard on bass guitar and jack of-all-trades frontman Bennett providing lead vocals, harmonica, backing guitar, accordianette and appropriately energetic stage antics, Anna ~ began to hit the local scene. Their music mostly evolved from mul tiple jam sessions together, and with influ ences and roots as varied as simple jazz, Elvis Costello, Jane’s Addiction, Kiss and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anna °° is able to create a sound that at the same time embraces and distances themselves from the typical alternative rock scene. With songs like “Michelle Barber,” records by this Australian trio of bass, drums and violin were just released for the first time domestically this year. Each song slowly builds to its often frenzied peak, reminding me at times of both the Velvet Underground and Irish folk music (prob ably just the violin). They also came to Cat’s Cradle last fall to put on one of the best live performances I’ve seen in my short 19 years on this planet. 5. Tortoise - “Gamera”/“Cliff Sweller Society” (Duophonic): This group of Chi cago indie rock all-stars followed up their excellent debut album with this import 12- inch on Stereolab’s label. “Gamera” starts off with some nice guitar, then the bass comes in, followed by some great funky drums that power the song until its end about 10 minutes later. The B-side is an incredible collage of various one-minute pieces, representing seemingly all of the musical ideas floating around in their col lective heads. 6. Stereolab - Refried Ectoplasm (Switched On, Volume 2) (Drag City): This is their second singles compilation and is probably my favorite Stereolab release to date. They continue on in the same Velvets meets Can vein, but because it is a compilation, this CD is a good deal more varied than their other records. It also features the early Stereolab hit “John Cage Bubblegum,” as well as two tracks from a collaboration with Nurse With Wound (!). 7. Magic Hour - Will They Turn You On or Will They Turn On Yo( Twisted Village): This is the second album from this group of former Crystalized Movements guitarists Wayne Rogers and Kate Biggars and the former Galaxie 500 rhythm section of DIVERSIONS dream and entire essence is music —with a lesser actor, the character would not have been as real. In fact, Holland could turn out to be Dreyfuss’ defining role as an actor; if Dreyfuss does not get an Oscar nod for his portrayal, there is something definitely wrong with Hollywood. Iris is also an important character, but Headly was perhaps not the right actress for the role. Headley is an emotional roller coaster, bouncing from mood to mood at the tip of a hat. An actress with a little more stability might have handled the emotional extremes better. Two other performers were very good in their roles: Jay Thomas played Bill, the wise-cracking football coach who teaches the band how to march; and Olympia Dukakis played Irene Jacobs, the high school principal who teaches Mr. Holland to imbibe his spirit into his students. Tho mas is one heck of an actor, and his talents have been wasted on the many television sitcoms he’s been on. Dukakis is an Oscar Anna °° will appear at the Lizard and Snake Cafe on Feb. 10. “Someone To Blame,” “Bonnie’s Bionic Arm” and “There’s Something Round About Her, But the Fellas Get Down Around Her,” Anna °° offers up an intelli gent and witty pop-themed alternative sound that is as enjoyable as it is hard to pin down. “It’s alter-ego pop rock," Richards said. “The underlying theme to all of our music is, of course, that it’s fun to dance to and you can have a good time coming out to hear our shows,” Bennett said. Another interesting fact is that Anna °° has a homepage on the World Wide Web. Fans and potential listeners can access the Naomi Yang and Damon Krukowski. While not as satisfying as 1994’s No Excess Is Absurd, this album is still quite good. The inclusion of the 20-minute long epic “Pass ing Words” alone puts this in my top 10. 8. The Raymond Brake - Piles of Dirty Winters', “New Wave Dream”/ “Secret” (Simple Machines): These Greensboro natives met all the expectations and put out the best local release of 1995. These two records alone did a lot to renew my faith in indie rock. The great Polvo-influenced tunes contained within should gamer them some much deserved national attention. You might also want to know that “Secret” is the catchiest song I heard all year. 9. Dump - 1 Can Hear Musk (Brinkman): Dump is Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew’s solo project, and this is his sec ond full-length album. Although 1994 was the year that 10-fi broke, it was 1995 that saw the release of I Can Hear Music, a superbly beautiful 10-fi pop album that kicks the shit out of anything Lou Barlow did this year. In the past, Dump has covered songs W MONDAY-TMJRSDAY ALL SEATS FRiQAV-SUMOAY ALL SEATS SI.SQ M [ASSASSINS (R) 1 [SEVEN (R) 1 W HWm/Bt Mfy 7itt, SttS W "Triumphant and Thrilling!" VAH4HTSV I - “A rollercoaster ride and a half! v ' >, C m* Qmm tamer. UNr wFm "Dazzling, original. A scary and tun! ? l 0*; '“’..l _j“" vv jm MHpr : 2 10 fiAF iii Mm tan iiiiOnfiluTiijtliDi Othello £ ' DUSMAWN 2 . 4 . 30 *' ? 3S Urn In* Inrrlkn NiTimftuliwlm □oH □ E rfTn Indulgence w/out the jIPWh Morning-After Guilt! Vjypr OPEN TIL 3am Tbur*, Frf, A Sat Columbia Street • Next to Copy tron • 932*1020 winner and probably the most underused performer in the film. The one disappointing aspect of this movie was the jarring emotional shifting Both the film’s plot and it’s music evoke a lot of emotion. Unfortunately, the transi tions are unnaturally sudden from one high to another low throughout the film. In one scene, for example, Mr. Holland is having the time of his life directing his marching band in a parade; then, in the next scene, his son suffers a 90 percent loss of hearing because of a fire buck horn. The strong emotions are a great aspect of the film, but a more gradual transition would have been nice. Anybody who loves music or is in volved in music needs to see this movie. The film is very touching, and it is very easy to bond with the characters and empa thize with them as they undergo changes. Expect to cry—or at least sniffle—at least once in the movie. The film contains a great message for all people: Always go for your dreams. page on their computers (at http:// www.unc.edu/~pinworm) to check out their music, as well as upcoming show dates. The group has tentative plans to cut an album in the near future, but right now they are concentrating on their live local performances, which certainly are not in any shortage. Anna °° played Cat’s Cradle on Jan. 17 and has already headlined Local 506 twice. Upcoming dates find the band at the Lizard & Snake on Feb. 10 with the Julie Ribbons and opening for The Trout Band at The Cave on Feb. 15. from people as widely varied as Henry Mancini and Sun Ra, and it keeps the tradition alive with an excellent cover of Fish & Roses’ “The Letter” that is even better than the original. 10. Flying Saucer Attack -Further (Drag City): I guess this music can best be de scribed as “psychedelic folk music.” Un derneath all the fuzz and feedback are gently strummed guitars and both of the singers’ hushed voices. Flying Saucer At tack broke up recently, but they leave us with Further, the best and most focused record of their career. I 59 Copies On Saturdays and Sundays Good on all 8 1/2 x 11 plain paper self-service and autofeed copies. N C.O. COPIES Open Til Midnite • 7 Days A Week 169 E. Franklin Si. • Near the Post Office l 967-6633 J Jon Spencer: ‘We’re Our Own Kind of Blues’ BYWF.NDYMTTrHF.iI. SENIOR WROER Jon Spencer, the man who makes women quake even while growling lyrics about bellbottoms, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Roy Roger’s roast beef sandwiches, is embarrassed, very embarrassed when I suggest he’s a sex symbol. There is a long silence on the telephone, anticipatory on my end, painfully uncom fortable on his. After a series of “uhs” and long pauses, he laughs nervously and says, “I have a hard time with questions like these. I wish I could say something really funny or clever. But I just get kind of embarrassed,” he says,not angrily. Quietly he adds, “I’m sorry.” Talking to this shy, sensi tive type, it’s easy to forget Jon Spencer Bines Explosion Tonight Ziggy's Winston-Salem that the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion put on the best live show I’ve ever seen (last fall in New Orleans): a genre-smashing frenzy soaked in equal parts sweat and testoster one. On a quick nine-date tour of the East Coast, the New York-based Blues Explo sion will be at Ziggy’s (910-748-1064) in Winston-Salem tonight. Shirk off your re sponsibilities; the road trip will be worth it. If you miss them tonight, it could be awhile before your next chance. Spencer and bandmates Judah Bauer (guitar) and Russell Simins (drums) are gearing up to work on their next album, which he pre dicts will be out in September. The next national tour probably won’t be until next fall. Spencer said the band would record with “true blues musicians” in Mississippi R.L. Burnside and some Fat Possum recording artists before heading to the West Coast to record on their own. This next move deviates from a pattern of increasing hip-hop influence in their music: 1994’s Orange featured a phone-in rap from Beck on “Flavor” and the looped and sampled “Greyhound.” And then they put some of their hits in the hands of remix artists, including the Beastie Boys’ Mike D. and Wu-Tang Clan’s Genius for this summer’s Experimental Re mixes EP. But Spencer predicted the next album won’tbeallroots. “With ‘Greyhound’ and the thing Beck did, the stuff that’s most hip hop about that was all stuff that was done in the studio after the songs were written, ” he said. “So, I don’t know what direction it’s goiflg to take yet. I’ll have a better idea in a couple of weeks from now. But I guess the songs we’ve written most recently are kind of maybe a little bit more like the stuff we were writing when we first started, shorter and jumpier. ” Spencer said the current tour would feature primarily new, unrecorded mate rial. 1 CtfISEP toriJrwrßrikm to I We are aMi* two screens to better eerve jon. We wM re-1 j&spsii lii turn. t\ra tw prtnuiia Music Comes to Life in Dolby Digital MR. HOLLAND’S OPUSES Ea 12 MONKEYSfrFrri^ L Dally 3:05, 5:10, 7:15, 9:20 . TWOIFBY SEA m t Dally 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:10 . WAITING TO EXHALED TOY STORY m bmNNSNNNNUrt ■ Make Reservations Nouj W f for Valentine’s Day! II 1 Southern coast of France j I and Italy. Visit anew cafe' J k designed for your pleasure Vy J N by Giovanni Caligari, M Chef and owner. jfl Homemade authentic cuisine ~ in an intimate atmosphere, Thursday, January 25,1996 “I hope it won’t be that hard (to get the audience to respond to new material). I guess this will be a test of it,” he said. “I really do want to take the songs out and give them a run-through before we record them. Hopefully I won’t get intimidated and start falling back on the old stuff. ” Wait Jon Spencer... intimidated? Spen cer has broken the rules of rock for years, first with influential ’Bos noise-rockers Pussy Galore, who alienated themselves from the entire D.C. hardcore scene when they released their Dischord-snubbing an them, “Fuck lan Mac Kaye.” And with the Blues Explosion, Spencer and company continue to break the rules for a “power trio”: there is no bass (you won’t miss it), the lyrics are primarily ego tistical (constantly name-dropping them selves) or nonsensical (name-dropping Clara Ba|ton). Even their name makes a statement. This is NOT your father’s blues: it’s orgasmically bursting and popping with soul and punk influences. “We’re our own kind of blues. We’re the blues for us,” Spencer said. “Some other people get into it too. I think it works for some other people. And... uh, I’ll leave it at that.” Spencer on stage puts the “front” in “frontman,” as much a sex machine as James Brown ever was, with the addition of an Elvis sneer. But on the phone, he sounded vulner able: “Even if we’re not playing anything new, I still get nervous... It can be hard to get up in front of a lot of people, you know?” When I jokingly asked why the Blues Explosion bypassed Chapel Hill on some of their tours (last fall’s, following the re lease of Orange, and also this one), Spencer apologized profusely. “I’m sorry. I’ll try not to let it happen again. We’re doing it this time because we were (at Cat’s Cradle) about a year ago. We thought we’d try someplace else... I’m sorry. The people there are wonderful and all very nice.” (To his credit, he came through in December as guitarist in Boss Hog, wife Cristina Martinez’s band.) Before our interview, I was nervous frankly, I consider Spencer a living legend. If his stage persona held true, he would be loud, abrasive and egotistical. But— sur prise he seemed sincere, without bra vado or cleverly polished ready-made an swers. Hie rebel spitting out lyrics and nearly swallowing his mic onstage and the awk ward guy stammering on the phone; it’s enough to m&e a woman swoon. And he thinks he’s not a sex symbol. 300 E. Main Street • Carrboro } JANUARY 26 FR CRAVIN' MELON W/FAR TOO JONES* * ($5) 27 SA YO LA TENGO W/ GROVER* * ($6) 29 MO MARILYN MANSON** FEBRUARY I ITH PIPE, TINSEL, SPATULA CD release parlies 2FR WXYC -60'S' DANCE 3SA REGGAE JAM SMO EVAN 5 JARON BTH NILS LOFGREN** ($10) 9FR DOXY'S KITCHEN W/ TROUT BAND** ($5) 10 SA VERTICAL HORIZON W/ CATTISH JENKINS 11 SU BLONDE REDHEAD. CHISEL 12 MO HAMMERHEAD, COBRA KAHN 14 WE HOBEX 15 TH LEFTOVER SALMON" ($9) 16 FR AOUARIUM RESCUE UNIT W/DAYROOM" ($) 17 SA VELDT, PLUTOPIA 19 MO HUM W/MERCURY REV" ($6) 22 TH EVERYTHING W/ ATHENAEUM 23 FR DRIVIN' N’ CRYIN'" ($8) 24 SA TRANS AM, JOBYS OPINION, TRACTOR HIPS 25 SU JAWBREAKER W/ ENGINE" ($5; AU. AGES) MARCH 6WE GARBAGE W/ THE RENTALS* * BFR FRANK BLACK** ($10) •‘Advance tickets available at School Kids in Chapel Hill & Raleigh and Poindexter in Durham 7
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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