Collegian
PAGE 4
EMI R MEMO
Cray's blues have flair
by Paul Miniger
Collegian Staff Writer
: Putting music into categories is a
difficult task. Such an undertaking
Is made worse when groups are
listed as being the same, yet sound
different.
The last "blues" album reviewed
in the Behrend Collegian was Stevie
Ray Vaughn's "Live Alive" LP,
On which Stevie Ray and The Dou
ble Trouble wailed through 14
songs in a seemingly endless guitar
Tiff. The pinnacle of the album was
the live cover of the Jimi Hendrix
- Cline "Voodoo Chile." There is no
doubt that the album was great,
but was it the blues? I'd say it was
probably more rock than blues.
"Strong Persuader" is different.
The music sounds more like tradi
tional blues, in that it has a slow
tempo, melancholy lyrics, and a
folksy guitar. However, it also has
a contemporary flair to it—sort of a
"city blues."
Most of Cray's hardships are of
a modern• origin, but are
nonetheless, timeless.
This is evident in "Still
Around." On the track, Cray
croons over— the fact that his
girlfriend is still in his life. More
specifically, she is still in his apart
ment. "I did my best to love you
now do your best to leave." A
I3ehrend goes Hawaiian
Christopher Rapach
Collegian Staff Writer
Just when the campus was begin
ning to enjoy the sunny days and
premature summer activities,
winter reminded us that this was
Erie and we could not shake its
recurring grasp. Fog, drizzle, rain,
snow and sleet became a common
sight once again. The fraternity of
Alpha Phi Omega came to our
rescue by holding its second annual
Hawaiian Beach Dance. The
scheduling of this dance was superb
because it gave the college the en
joyment of summer and also made
us forget the Erie climate, at least
for one night_
:.The Hawaiian Beach Dance was
held on Saturday, April 4. The
dance took place in the
Wintergreen Cafe from 10pm to
2aim. When you paid the one dollar
admission cover charge, you were
giyen a Hawaiian lei and entered
Behrend's own tropical island. To
thi. left of the entrance was the
Mlbcktail Bar which served Near
Beer, Fuzzy Navels; Pina Coladas,
and Mai Tais for a small charge of
25; cents each drink. You even had
the choice of drinking from a glass
or:. an authentic coconut shelf.
Stanley Smith was the Alpha Phi
Omega brother who was given
responsibility of bartender. His ex-
touchy situation put together nicel
in Cray's bluesy,voice.
Another example of this cit
blues style is in the song "Smokin..:
Gun." Using metaphorical lyrics
Cray describes the feeling of bein:.
caught in a love triangle. Sinc.
"Smoking Gun" has received con
siderable airplay, you are probabl
familiar with his blues guitar style
which is reminiscent of 8.8
_King
and quite a bit more tame th.
Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Three other songs on the albu
are also worthy of praise. These ar -
"I Wonder," "Right Next Door"
and "New Blood."
"I Wonder" is probably the besi
of the three. Its slow beat and cry
ing guitar help to express Cray'
lyrics describing a failing romanc ,
and its paranoyal effects. "
Wonder" is by far the bluesiest
song on "Strong Persuader." _
Still, the album is not withou
some let-downs. "More Than I
Can Stand" and "I Guess I Show
ed Her" are the biggest sleepers.
Their downfall is probably the
result of taking city blues style a bit
too far. Thus, the songs sound
commercial and quite dull.
For the most part, "Strong Per
suader" is a good album_ One can
fmd at least five favorites among
the ten tracks. And that alone is
worth the $5.99 price tag.
perience brought in about twenty
dollars.
The music was provided by
Alpha Phi Omega's own disc
jockey Lon Higley. His own island
of music was set up in the far left
corner of the Cafe. His selections
ranged from the 50's up to the 80's,
and he included all kinds of music.
You know there was a wide selec
tion when you heard "Itsy, Bitsy,
Teeny, Weeny, Yellow Polka-Dot-
Bikini," "You Be Illin'," and
"Walk This Way" all in the same
night. If one was observing the ac
tivities of the dancers then they
would have seen groups of friends
performing dance routines, doing
cartwheels, line dances, and Mam
ba lines. When the music slowed
down, you could see the groups
clasped arm-in-arm swaying back
and forth to the music, and couples
becoming closer as they danced.
There was an occasional interrup
tion when the music skipped,
however this just showed how
energetic the dancing audience was.
Throughout the night, contests
were being performed and prizes
were given out. The prizes were
compliments of Domino's Pizza,
Pepsi-Cola Co., Wendy's, and the
Y.M.C.A. The contests were: Best
Tan, Best Outfit, Chugging, and
Limbo. The Best Tan Winner was
s l 5
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Behrend students have lofty ideas
by Lisa Hahn
Collegian Staff Writer
When a student comes to school,
where they live is an important part
of their college life. Here at
Behrend, residence hall rooms are
where a lot of the students live and
spend most of their time. In order
for the student to feel comfortable
and "at home" for eight months
out of the year, it is a good idea to
fix up the cubicle to make it
bearable to live in. When one first
steps foot into a residence hall
room here, the first question that
usually pops into the person's head
is, "How in the world am I going
to manage living in this small of a
space?" The answer lies within
each student's creative mind. The
trick is being able to turn a cabby
hole with painted concrete cinder
blocks, bolsters that don't match,
one mirror, one set of drawers, a
linoleum floor, and one bulletin
board into someplace that at best
slightly resembles your room at
home. However, it is surprising
what some students come up with
using what little is available.
Lofts seem to be the best way to
change the whole dull 'look of the
rooms, and there are many dif
ferent styles and shapes that lofts
are made into. There is the "1"
shape loft, the loft that goes across
the middle of the room, and then
there is the "split" type on either
side of the room. These are just a
few types around, there are many
more considering the number of
students and imaginations. Bunk
beds can also be used to create
more floor space, but lofts are
more versatile and give the student
the most room.
Another part of the room that
most students try to change are the
bare walls. A lot of students put up
pictures or posters that make their
room their own. The walls and
bulletin board become an expres
sion of that person's personality
plus it makes the room look a
whole lot better too.
A big thing that changes the
room is whether or not there are
decent curtains and a carpet. When
Russell McDaid, Best Outfit went
to Edward Applegate and second
place went to Richard McCartney.
The Chugging Team that won con
sisted of: Eric Connors, Ted
Cinker, Brian (Sil) Vecellio, and
Sean Kersten. The four well deserv
ed the case of Pepsi because, well,
if you have ever tasted Near-Beer
you know why. The Limbo Winner
was Bill Packwood, and Kara
Davis came in second
The decorations were also very
commendable. All the way from
the two homemade palm trees, to
the decor of the Mock Bar, and the
swinging glitterball; everything was
well thought out and executed
perfectly. The dance was planned
by a committee in Alpha Phi
Omega and headed by Jim
Thomas. The night concluded with
the APO brothers singing the
theme to Gilligan's Island.
Hopefully, next time they will warn
us abourtheir—sirigin-gr
Whether an individual came to
dance, sit in the lounging area and
meet their friends, taste the
Mocktails, enter the contests, or
just to get leid, Alpha Phi Omega
succeeded in chasing away the
winter grayness that had set in the
previous week. And for this the
campus was definately ready for
some APO summer fun.
the students first arrive there are
many different styles of curtains in
the residence • halls. There is the
"Safari Collection," "The Floral
Garden Collection," and many
other styles not worth mentioning.
Usually when one first steps foot
into the residence hall room, the
first place the eye goes to is the win
dow where those ominous pieces of
material hang. The curtains usually
don't cover the windoivs either, so
taking them down completely
doesn't make a difference. One can
only hope there are no Peeping
Toms.
There are many interesting
rooms on Behrend campus and
each one is unique. Bill Packwood
and Paul Sarkis have the most in
novative room I've seen thus far.
It's like a study in a 17th-century
castle, minus the rigidness. You
forget you are in a Behrend College
residence hall room once you cross
the threshold. There's paneling,
bookshelves, posters, paintings,
and bunk beds covered by burgun-
Jones mixes comedy and music
Lynn Popovich
Collegian Staff
Do you like to laugh? Well, on
April 22, at the Wintergreen Cafe,
there will be a person there to make
you do just that. Scott Jones, a
musician and comedian, will per
form an act unlike anyone ever has.
He uses exotic toys, wierd props,
and rubber devices in his extraor
dinary show. He once performed
his act in an elementary school and
as payment he received a letter
from every child in the school. The
letters are now on a record and in
his shows. There is also a comedy
slide show which portrays all the
strange images of life on the road.
Whenever he would ride down the
road on his many trips, he would
see funny sights that he wished he
had a camera for, so he got one and
incorporated it into his creative act.
Jones' Comedy Show was made for
community colleges and noon
shows. Dramatic entrances, which
are an important part of the show,
are certain show-stoppers.
Scott Jones also plays music
which ranges from classical to con
temporary, blues to jazz, and rag
to rock. Several styles may appear
in.one selection, and the audience is
always kept guessing. He has writ
ten more than 100 songs spanning
from the categories already men
tioned. The main focus of the show
is on songs with words. His show
also includes a solo from either his
piano or his Zodiac Suite- a collec
tion of pieces for each sign. Jones'
music comes from the core, and ex
presses emotions and feelings that
his words could not touch. His
music is refreshing and up-lifting.
The show has a type of sound that
makes the audience laugh, cry and
tap their toes to the beat. Scott
Jones has released four albums of
original music and is now recording
a collection of his piano solos en
titled "The Zodiac Suite." He con-
Classical music scheduled
by Liza Hahn
Collegian Staff Writer
groups around today.
The Alard Quartet is one of a
distinguished line of quartets to
emerge from the Julliard School of
If some students were asked Music. It was formed in 1954 by
what their favorite kind of music Hans Letz and the next year it
was, very few would say classical. received the Young Artist Award
Classical music is something you of the National Federation- of
are forced to listen to in a music ap- Music Clubs. In 1984, the Alard
preciation class and the only one q. Quartet celebrated the 25th year its
who apprerciates it is the music four present members have playd
teacher. Nevertheless, classical together. The Alard Quartet has
music has evolved and survived for been residing at the Pennsylvania
hundreds of years, stimulating and State University since 1962. Its
soothing millions of people. If • repertoire includes some unusual
students were also asked who their and seldom heard works which
favorite musical group is, most span 400 years of literature.
would probably answer something Members of the Alard Quartet
like U 2 or Bon Jovi.• It's doubtful include Joanne Zagst-violinist,
that many would say The Aland Donald Hopkins-violinist, Ray-
Quartet, yet The Aland Quartet has mond Page-viola player, and
been entertaining crowds for 25 Leonard Feldman who plays cello.
years, longer than most musical This group of performers has got-
dy colored curtains that serve as a
canopy for more privacy. Bill, .said
that he, "wanted to make some
place look like a den. Dark wood,
dark things and losts of stuff to
look at." Paul said that he wanted
to, "develop a place that was relax
ing. As far from the standard room
as possible. We tried to escape the
coldness of the standard room and
give it a little warmth. After all if
it's home for eight months you
might_as well make •it look like
home."
Packwood and Sarkis designed
the layout for the room themselves
and then built everything last fall.
The room comes equipped with a
ceiling fan (for those sweltering
days in Erie), a Renoir and a poster
of "Bogie" on the back of the
door. It certainly seems to have all
the comforts of home and that's
what they were trying to achieve.
Bill Barnes, another student here
at Behrend, has a loft in his room
because he wanted to create more
Scott Jones and friend
tinues to tour extensively by bring- He plays serious music, says funny
ing his shows to concert halls and things and has a great slide show.
auditoriums with the likes of Steve _ His act is a little bit of all things
Landesberg, Al Stewart, Leon Red- rolled into one spectacular perfor
bone, Richard Belzer, and David mance. His unforgetable show
Bromberg, as well as to elementary leaves the audience wanting more
schools, cruise ships in the Carib- and remembering the night for a
bean, and even a library in Chip- long time to come. He pulls various
pewa Falls, Wisconsin. When not techniques and styles into his show.
touring, he often works as a studio He travels with a great sound
musician. He wrote the string, system, a toybox, and a computer.
horn, and vocal arrangements for You never really know what to ex
several of LIPPS, INC's platinum pect from the Scott Jones Show
and gold albums, which includes (and neither does hes). A smile will
the hit "Funkytown." , be on your face from ear to ear
The Scott Jones Show is an even- long after the show is over and
ing of entertainment and surprises. your mind will carry around a tune.
eatures
space. He says lofts are good
, because, "If you are in the room
' and someone comes in that you
don't want to see, you just lay in
your loft quietly without them even
• knowing you're there." He said
that, "Lofts are good for people
who are natural slobs because you
have more room in which to be a
slob." Bill has a split loft with built
in ladders. Underneath the loft it's
like a little livingroom complete
with couch and TV. It's like having
two separate rooms in one. At least
it's something different than the
usual boring residence hall •room
and lofts can make a good profit
once the occupants are done using
them.
No matter how the students
decorate their rooms, chances are
the finished product is better than
what they started with. Even if
you're stuck with "Safari Collec
tion" curtains and mixed orange
and black bolsters, all it takes is a
little imagination.
ten rave reviews from many sources
such as Paul Kresh-Stero Review
. who says they are, "Excellent,
highly polished and exceptionally
expressive, " The London Times
exclaims that, "These players
speak with authority and persua
sion," and The New York Times
says that the quartet is, "Four ad
inirably balanced instrumentalists
who bring vitality, cohesion and
solid musicianship to their
readings."
The Alard Quartet has toured
many parts of the world including
North and South America, Europe,
and the Pacific. It has performed in
many famous concert halls from
the Brahmssaal in Vienna, to the
Ditbrovnik Festival in Yugoslavia
and the Concertgebouw in Amster
dam to Auckland'd Town Hall,
Mexico City's Palace de Bellas
Artes and now Behrend College's
Reed Lecture Hall. The Alard
Quartet has performed as soloist
with the Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and
Denver Symphony Orchestras and
has been a regular participant on
the American Music Festival of the
National Gallery in Washington,
D.C., and the AKI Festival of Con
temporary Music at the Cleveland
Musuem. •
If you follow the solid reputation
of the Alard Quartet you can't go
wrong. Widen your spectrum of
music and broaden your involve
ment in the Arts. Come see the
Alard Quartet -April 16th at 8:00
p.m. in the Reed Lecture Hall. It
will be an enjoyable and
memorable evening.