FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2001
New tour makes for long days
by Deanna Symoski
a&e editor
“You realize this isn’t brain surgery
we’re doing up here,” Rob Thomas,
lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, told
the sold-out Mellon Arena in
Pittsburgh last Friday night. “We’re
not curing cancer, either. We’re just
some dickheads in a band.”
It is that humility that has allowed
the music of Matchbox Twenty to
speak for itself. The band, currently
on tour with Lifehouse and Everclear,
is free of flashy special effects and
gimmicks, except for Thomas’s
classic lead-singer good looks, and
gives off the impression that they are
completely at home just playin’ some
songs.
“If you wanna get up and dance or
just sit back and listen, it’s cool. We're
gonna play some music, so just have
fun,” Thomas instructed.
With a disco ball spinning and a
translucent sheet billowing in that
strange breeze arenas always seem to
have inside them, silhouettes of the
band took the stage. The curtain lifted
and Matchbox Twenty officially
opened with "Crutch” off their
sophomore album Mad Season.
Thomas took front and center, and for
a moment, the collective shrill of
teenage girls made it feel like the O-
EVER POPULAR
For Alexakis, it’s always a
good time for a bad attitude
Art Alexakis used to be a rock star. Now' the lead singer of Everclear
just sings about being one.
There is no life more fitting for a stint on Behind the Music than that
of Alexakis’, and those
tumultuous times are
well documented in the
band’s music. It is this
bleak, if not honest,
songwriting that has
kept Everclear on the
map.
Their latest release,
Songs from an
American Movie Vol. II:
Good Time for a Bad
Attitude , hit stores in
November ot'2ooo, and
brought witli it a
punk plethora of
autobiographical
recollection. Songs like
“AM Radio,” which
recalls the simplicity of
growing up in a less
technical decade, are a little more upbeat than “Father of Mine” and
pretty much anything from So Much for the Afterglow , which is w'hy
Everclear opened with the anti-disco theme on Friday.
With no more than a frowning smiley face on a black curtain as a back
drop, Everclear rolled through a variety of songs and time periods.
Touching upon a sampling of everything from Sparkle and Fade to
American Movie Vol. 11, the band delivered a perky set to fuel the crowd.
By the end, just as we were watching the world die in “Santa Monica,”
even those who only came for Matchbox Twenty were bouncing up and
down.
Movies
Exit Wounds
Enemy at
the Gates
*Release Date: 3/20
Art- /A prifh
JL aJL 'LA/ ii.~ ,i-i. 11.
It's a mad, mad, mad, mad season
for yourself or someone like you
town show simultaneously playing at
Club M.
But these Rock-and-Rollers are no
boy band, as they proved with their
second number “Long Day,” their first
release off the critically-acclaimed
Yourself or Someone Like You
released in 1996. Thomas’ voice, the
sound of a soul purging itself,
passionately flowed against the riffs
of guitars that sound
like they know something you
and Thomas don’t. It is that
thirst in their music that reveals the
true purity of their art form. And the
crowd understood.
by Deanna Symoski
I'-HV v.
Video*
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Remember
the Titans
But one gets the impression that
regardless of the volume of the cheers,
Matchbox Twenty w'ould be happy
playing their music just about
anywhere. As the piano rolled onto the
stage, the mood became immediately
more intimate. “You
Mine” sprinkled over th<
at first, then rolled into
grand epic
summarizes Mad Seaso,
The piano, howeve
was not to remain
more than two so
unfortunately. It
disappointing, in fact,
the band overlooke*
opportunity to perform
of their unreleased piecf
as the piano version of
Instead, they opted to ki
show in a faster ge
impressive pace in its ow
but more acoustic versiot
have been a special treat
An Everyday occurrence:
« Dave Matthews sells his soul and his sound
*, w "for mainstream album
After a long weekend with no sleep,
I snuggled into my toasty little bed,
turned the lights out, and played my
new Dave Matthews Band CD, Every
day. 1 was ready for the sexy voice of
Dave Matthews to soothe me into a
deep sleep, but the first song on the
album, "1 Did It" forced me to stay
awake and sing along. This proved to
be the only song 1 knew the words to.
Thanks MTV (by the way, 1 still don’t
understand that video).
I listened carefully to the lyrics of
each song, trying to make sense of
what I was hearing. Okay, I will admit
it. I am one of those emotionally chal
lenged individuals who listen to the
words of songs and believe that some
of them were written to describe the
life of Ainslie J. Ulmer. Take some of
Dave’s oldies, but goodies for ex
ample: "Crash," "Say Goodbye" or
"Crush." I mean the lyrics in these
songs are deep, emotional, and are
possibly Dave at his best. But during
some of the songs on Everyday , I
thought to myself, "am I missing
something?"
“Angel," "The Space Between," "So
Right,” and "Dreams of Our Fathers"
Music*
Maxwell
50 Cent
Korn
Mandy Moore
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of us who could already sing every
song the way it sounds on the album.
Seeing the band live does lend a
whole new appreciation for the good
songs that airplay bludgeons to death.
Far removed from the monotony of
the heavy rotation of their first album
(so that now you actually want to hear
those early songs on the radio/ Mad
Season s releases are beginning to
find the same fate. “If You’re Gone,”
a favorite on local radio, gets taken
for granted until witnessing the heart
with which the song was originally
written. Live versions capture the
journey that radio warps into
destination.
The play list consisted of the first
nine songs off Mad Season,
everything up to and including
“Bent,” and “You Won’t Be Mine,”
interspersed with “Real World,” “3
am,” “Girl Like That” and “Back 2
Good” from Yourself or Someone Like
You. “Push,” also off the debut album,
'he first song in an
isive encore that
ipped with a yet-to-be
eleased cover of
‘Lonely Weekend” by
ieil Young for the Sun
cords collaboration
by Ainslie Ulmer
public relations manager
will probably grow on me. They have
potential, but 1 had to listen to the CD
several times before making that de
cision. This has formed the basis for
much of my criticism. There has not
been a Dave Mathews CD yet that I
have not loved right from the begin
ning. I guess there is a first for every
thing.
So I have come to a conclusion (here
comes Ainslie Ulmer, World Problem
Solver). I have determined that Dave
has sold out. For some reason, Dave
has decided to become more public
and play MTV specials. He is becom
ing one of those commercial artists we,
the fans, have always praised him for
not being. As I listen to some of the
songs, I recognize that funky DMB
beat trying to peek through, but for the
most part Everyday is unlike any other
Dave Matthews Band CD. A new im
age, new style, new look... Hey Dave!
WASSUP with that?
To all you die-hard Dave fans out
there, I apologize for what I am about
to say, but possibly the best part of this
CD was the insert for Dave Mathews
Band merchandise. My white DMB
logo hoodie should arrive any day now.
hbox Twenty turned
performance that
sed on music over
:antry, talent over
;e. The band is just that
band, and their
,tence upon
.mbering that not only
:s them one of the most
;d acts around, it makes
perhaps the most
DVD*
Bedknobs and
Broomsticks
Dune
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Remember
the Titans
R 9 Erl
To Go
by Erin McCarty
Pot 0 ’ Gold!
Irish films are a great way
to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Well, it’s that time again. St. Patrick’s Day: the holiday on which every
body becomes Irish for a day. Tomorrow Erie will be a sea of green, and if
snow doesn’t stop it, the St. Paddy’s Day Parade will spread the sounds of
Irish music throughout the city. There’ll be wild parties at every pub, and
the aroma of corned beef will waft through the streets. But if you don’t have
any big plans, this is an ideal time to go out and rent a good Irish flick. So
get yourself a Shamrock shake and settle down in front of the television to
enjoy one of these Irish movies.
Christmas in Kilarney. This is just a quickie, thirty minutes long, for all
you nostalgic folks out there. It’s one in a long line of Rankin and Bass
stop-animation specials. True, it’s really a Christmas movie, but it’s got
leprechauns, banshees, rainbows, and gold. And in my grade school, we
watched it every St. Patrick’s Day.
Darby O'Gill ami the Little People. An oldie but goodie, this Disney flick
follows the adventures of an eccentric old man who has numerous run-ins
with the king of the leprechauns. It also concerns the courtship of his
daughter and the young man who has come to take over Darby’s house. A
nice old-fashioned romance story with plenty of Irish magic and humor, this
movie also features a very young Sean Connery.
The Secret of Roan Inish. An often overlooked film deeply rooted in Irish
folklore. The lush scenery and stirring soundtrack contribute to this tale of a
girl searching for her long-lost brother on the island where her family used
to live. No leprechauns here, but it gives a great introduction to selkies,
mermaid-like creatures who, instead of being part fish, are part seal.
Waking Ned Devine. A hilarious movie about two old men and a lottery
ticket. When their friend Ned dies with the winning lottery ticket in hand,
they concoct a plan to fool the Irish Lottery officials into thinking one of
them is Ned so they can split the winnings evenly among all the members
of the small town. Out to thwart them is an old woman who would make
Oscar the Grouch seem cheery. There are no magical creatures here, but the
charm of the characters is magic enough. And it’s the only movie I’ve ever
seen with an old man riding a motorcycle naked (don’t worry, his back’s to
the viewers)!
Leprechauns. This is the longest movie of the bunch. It debuted on NBC
as a miniseries last year, and it is both action-packed and romantic. A
variation on Romeo and Juliet, it tells the tale of a leprechaun and a fairy
who fall in love, much to the dismay of their families. When the two bands
of little people wage war against one another, the survival of both civiliza
tions is at stake. It takes two pairs of star-crossed lovers, the fairy and
leprechaun and the full-size American and Irish lass, to bring the others to
their senses.
Far and Away. My personal favorite, this delightful movie stars Tom
Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a pair of nineteenth-century immigrants in
Boston. They meet in Ireland when Joseph (Cruise) tries to kill Shannon’s
(Kidman) father, whose employees were responsible for the death of
Joseph’s father. Shannon, rich, spoiled, and headstrong, and Joseph, poor,
clumsy, and fiery, flee together to America under less than ideal circum
stances. Once there, Shannon is robbed and the two set up residence in a
brothel and find jobs in a chicken factory, trying to save up enough to head
west, where the land is. Meanwhile, Joseph gains fame and fortune by night
as a prize-fighter, but he fails to realize until too late that his employer has
complete control over his life. Filled with action, adventure, humor, and
romance, this is probably the most realistic of the six and is a terrific movie
all year round.
Other films worth checking out include The Quiet Man , starring John
Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and backed by a beautiful soundtrack;
Riverdance and Lord of the Dance , both featuring talented troops of Irish
dancers, and The Brothers McMullen, a comedy about three Irish-American
brothers. There are plenty of others to choose from, but these are ten of the
best. Check one of them out and bring a little bit of Ireland into your room
this weekend. Slafnte (that’s Gaelic for "to your health").