The Behrend Beacon I 8
Conti*
hive piece Hr itjsh band Ihe Duke Spirit is made up ot (Left to Kight) lob\ Sutler <bass). [ ,iela Moss (vocals). Dan Higgins (guitar). I .like Lord (euitar). ()llv Betts (drums i
The Duke Spirit catches on in England
Bv Sean Mihlo
music columnst
Over the past year, the music industry has
been relentlessly abuzz about an explosion
of British bands in the music scene, usher
ing in the return or revitalization of Britpop.
Bloc Party, the Kaiser Chief's. The
Futureheads and a slew of others are leading
the pack, gaining popularity amongst critics
and fans across the globe. Equally as talent
ed. but unlike they're counterparts, the Duke
Spirit, a five-piece from England, are break
ing Britpop norms with their hip-snapping,
glass-shattering guitar licks, heart-pounding
bass lines, fist-pumping drums, lead singer
Leila Moss's captivating, brutally sensual,
biting snarl and. most importantly, an effer
vescent. no-holds-barred attitude.
With its roots stamped in London, the
Duke Spirit was bom in 2002. Vocalist Leila
Moss, guitarist Luke Ford and bassist Toby
Butler met while studying at Cheltenham
College (or the equivalent to American high
school) and eventually moved to London.
Guitarist Dan Higgins was introduced to the
three in a student house in North London.
After their initial meeting, the four students
began jamming together and soon after, met
drummer Oily Betts through a friend.
The honeymoon is over: when roommate matching goes wrong
By Ashley Bressler
staff writer
College life is all about experiencing unfamiliar
situations, but sometimes the most difficult situa
tion college students may encounter is learning to
live with their roommate. During orientation and
the first week of classes, the Resident Assistants
were all given instructions to stress the impor
tance of establishing a friendly relationship with
those whom you live with. Many students are
familiar with the Resident Assistants’ coined
phrase "the Honeymoon" period which explains
why there are less roommate disputes in the first
three weeks of classes. By this time of the year,
the fifth week of classes, the harmonious
"Honeymoon phase” is over and all the real
quirks, disgusting habits and natural annoyances
swirl though Behrend's residence halls. The ques
tion that remains in many students' heads is. "Can
1 really live with this person'.’”
Not all roommate miss-matches are grounds for
bringing out the pad locks and room dividers. In
fact, some students find that they share an instant
bond with their roommate. The development of a
strong, trusting relationship with ones roommate
The “Family Guy” Movie, Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Thumbs Up
“They’re making one?”
Rudy Becker,
COMMUNICATIONS,
c \r
.vJ .
I'UDENT LI
From the beginning, it was evident that
the Spirit began fashioning its own brand of
unadulterated rock and roll. "We didn't want
to rip off another band." says guitarist
Higgins, who was interviewed recently. "We
had a real shared love of music being hard
and soft, light and dark, high contrast. 1
guess." Yes. it's apparent that the band has
experienced classics by the Rolling Stones.
My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau
Twins (whose Simon Raymonde helmed the
band's debut LP). but the aforementioned
are simply nourishment for a hungry beast.
As Higgins puts it. "I believe a lot of the
bands we're into feed a bit of you. they each
give you a notion that you then take into
yourself and use."
In October of 2003. the band released
I heir first EP on City Rockers, garnering
critical praise and establishing themselves
as a force within the London scene. In 2004.
the Spirit signed with former New Musical
Express editor James Oldham's Loog
Records. Alter recording what would
become their debut album. City Rockers
experienced financial troubles, causing the
band to leave the label. "It wasn't totally
clear who was paying for the record."
Higgins explains, "which made it even more
spicy."
is very important and can alter one's college expe
rience accordingly. If you become great friends
with your roommate, you will always have some
one to turn to when you are feeling stressed with
school or other relationships. Roommates Heidi
Plunkard and Sheri Kroskie. who live in Senat
Hall, are the perfect example of Behrend students
who were
malc h e d
together and
instantly
became best
friends. When
asked to
describe her
relationship
with her room
mate. Plunkard
comme n t e d
Amazing, she
even offered to
make me soup when I was sick." Plunkard's
roommate. Kroskie. responded with, "We’re a lot
alike, so it’s easy to get along with her. We go out
together all the time and walk to classes together.
We were just lucky." A strong relationship can
Thumbs Down
“My mom said it was
awful. I haven’t seen it
yet.”
Amanda Charney,
COMMUNICATIONS,
"Cuts Across the Land," the band's first
proper record, was recorded in North Wales
and released in May of this year. Along with
Raymonde. veteran producers Flood also
helped to master the Spirit's sound. "We'd
try and record most of the instruments
together and then overdub parts, add other
instruments." explains Higgins regarding
the recording sessions. "We were in a studio
and you'd be hearing this amazing song on
playback, and you knew no one outside the
room had heard it; that's almost the best bit.
the little moments when you all hear what
you've done and no one know s about it yet."
Although the album has yet to be released
in the U.S.. the band recently signed a deal
with Interscope to eventually bring the
album stateside, including a tour as early as
this January. And according to Higgins, the
band has some material in the works for
their next album. "We've got new songs
written and more to come. We tend to need
to get round each others houses with a cup
ol tea to write anything." But don't expect to
hear a barrage of new songs while the band
is on tour: "We don't write on the road real
ly; its more visiting art galleries and staving
off hangovers."
“We’re a lot alike, so it’s easy to
get along with her. We go out
together all the time and walk to
classes together. We were just
lucky.”
- Sheri Kroskie
“Family Guy is the
epitome of America.”
Kay Smith
CREATIVE WRITING,
change a cramped dorm room into a home, which
is the ideal situation for all of us here at Penn State
Behrend. We are all just trying to find a place
where we belong and can feel at home. For those
individuals w'ho have found true friendship in
their roommates, consider yourselves very lucky!
The room assignment committee at Behrend
works hard to
themselves afraid to talk to their roommate about
controversial situations including problems with
the neatness, personal hygiene, and having com
mon respect for each others belongings. One
Behrend student who chose to remain anonymous
Thumbs Up
nrni
L 1 lb
Signs by Todd clothes clubs
For a club or organization, it can be hard to get noticed around
campus. Sure, throwing on-campus events and mixers is a great
idea, but there is one surefire solution that tops the charts: custom T-
Shirts. The Greeks on campus wear their "letters" proudly to show
their involvement and so can your club. Having custom shirts print
ed can make your group stand out and help you to advertise events
or to help recruit new members. The one downside, however, is that
shirts can get expensive. That doesn't have to be the case.
Signs by Todd is a new Greek apparel/shirt printing store that has
opened up on the third floor of the Masonic Temple (32 West 8
Street), across from Gannon University. Here, owner and operator,
Todd Hays specializes in Greek lettered shirts and jackets, custom t
shirts, banners, vinyl signs and much, much more. Hays understands
that college students are short on cash so he strives to offer a quali
ty product at discounted prices. Yet, while he specializes in Greek
apparel, he is capable of fulfilling the needs of any group. Hays
proudly states. "If you want it. I’ll find it and get it." Taking one
look around his shop will convince you that he truly can. Hays spent
four years working for Brink Ink, a Greek store located in the
Edinboro area so his merchandise is top notch.
A club or organization that wants to have shirts made simply
needs to pick a design of some sort and explain to Hays what they
want. Not only can he scan in any artwork you may bring him, but
he is also a skilled artist capable of drawing a design on the comput
er for you.
Hays has worked incredibly hard to get where he is today, which
is a tribute to his work. He started from the ground up, originally
having to work full time at another job until his store was up and
running. Truly, he is living the american dream and he is an exam
ple to students and adults alike who desire to one day own their own
business. "I wanted to not have to depend on anyone; I wanted to be
able to do whatever I want to do," Hays stated. “Same with this. If
I have my mind set on it. I’m going to do it. I said I’m going to do
this and I did. Here I am.”
So any clubs or organizations, especially the Greeks, can be con
fident in taking their business to Signs by Todd, knowing that they
will get quality merchandise at a fair price.
caption placed below Jeffery
McDaniel’s photograph was
unintentional and was
meant to be demeaning of his
opinions or character.
try and make
“good match
es” for stu-
dents by con
sidering their
majors, back
grounds, and
study habits.
Unfortunately,
all matches are
not successful.
In many cases,
students
Thumbs Down
“I didn’t see it, and I
don’t plan on seeing it.”
Rob Covert
BIOLOGY, 07
Friday, September 30, 2005
By KJ Margraff Jr.
student life editor
Retraction:
In last week’s edition, the
commented, “My roommate and I never talk. I
don’t know anything about her. I think she took
one look at me on move in day and completely
wrote me off. We have nothing in common; it’s
not a good situation.” In these cases, great resent
ment often forms and sometimes escalates into
full blown arguments. Here is some advice taken
from “The List - 429 Secret Ingredients for
College Success:” “If your roommate smells,
don’t suffer. Tell him/her.” This helpful guide
stresses the importance of communication. If you
hope to reconcile with your roommate, communi
cation is key.
For those that have tried to compromise and are
still finding it very difficult to live with their
roommate, don’t worry. There are other options,
besides throwing your roommates clothes out the
window. Penn State Behrend has a program called
Direct Room Switch on eßoard, an electronic
“bulletin board” where you can post your interest
in switching rooms with another student. Here,
students can request to switch rooms with other
students without breaking their housing contracts.
If this avenue still does not prove to be successful,
students can contact housing for more extreme
options.
“It had it’s moments, but
it was completly point-
Katie Sweeney
POLITICAL SCIENCE,
not
Undecided
less at times.”