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Artist: Duran Duran
Album: Astronaut
Release Date: 10/12/04
Number of Tracks: 12
Grab your scrunchies and
Rubix cubes! We are traveling
back in time with Duran Duran’s
latest release Astronaut. This
album clearly demonstrates the
group’s desire to bring back the
big, bright 80’s. Even though
the band uses the same distinct
vocal sound that made them an
international phenomenon, the
album is about 20 years too
late in its release to really be a
hit.
Many fans were eager to see
where the group would fit them
selves into the 21st century
musical spectrum, unfortunate
ly, they seem to stay in the
same spectrum they have
always been comfortable with
in. The first single, “(Reach Up
For The) Sunrise” is actually
somewhat catchy and could
probably be tolerated about
three of four times before
becoming annoying. After that
track, every other track sounds
basically the same as the on
before it, a personal musical
pet peeve. While listening, it
actually becomes difficult to tell
where one track ends and
another begins.
In the 80’s, Duran Duran relied
on their music videos to attact
listeners with their fashion
facades.
model-esque
However, even with creative
airbrushing and lots of makeup,
it is evident that the group will
have to rely on - gasp - musical
talent. In 1989, they were
hunky Brits. Now, in 2004, it’s
like watching your dad doing
karaoke with a bad accent. But
the group of fortysomethings
just doesn’t want to quit, so
they deserve credit for sticking
with it.
Overall, the lyrics of Astronaut
make no sense at all, and the
played out musical tempos
makes it difficult to retain or
grasp any memory of having
heard the songs at all. Unless
you’re really dying for some
new old music, it would be fine
to pass on this cd, because just
when we all thought our embar
rassing 80’s moments were
hidden and stored away forever
- bam! here comes Duran
Duran to rehash all the neon
moments of our youth.
Photo courtesy of Coogle images
Duran Duran is back
North Street Zephyr Express blends retro, modem
By Elizabeth Wingate
Staff Reporter
eawl9l @psu.edu
A long, long time ago, in the
dark ages of 1998, Harrisburg
was a desolate place after 5 pm
as state workers raced back to
the safety of the suburbs. The
notion of spending an evening in
the city was nearly as appealing
as vacationing in Baghdad. The
Hardware Bar was actually a
hardware store and the people
who worked there actually wore
clothes. Parking downtown was
plentiful and cheap, and at the
corner of Barbara and N. 2nd
Sts., a much loved place named
Zephyr served agreeable food
that made patrons think the city
wasn’t so bad after all, assuming
they weren’t mugged on the way
to their car.
Fast-forward a few years.
Harrisburg got its act together
and now on any given evening,
downtown restaurants and bars
bubble with activity and a
renewed sense of purpose. In
that same spirit, Zephyr came
out of retirement and moved
around the corner to North
Street, becoming formally known
as North Street Zephyr Express
in April 2004. The reborn Zephyr
has a renewed vitality that does
n’t forget its roots- the menu is
virtually identical to that of the old
Zephyr-but has been updated
enough to appeal to a younger
crowd as well.
Zephyr occupies a space
loaded with restaurant karma—
the North Street Cafe and Cafe
Sol used to reside here— which
makes for an interesting environ
ment. Patrons enter through the
The changing
Music preferences are as
diverse as the students at
PSH
By Allyson Davis
Staff Reporter
amd367@psu.edu
Rap, R&B, country, classical,
and rock and roll are just a few
music types that people listen to.
Some listen to the lyrics and
relate to them, others listen to
just relax, others listen to dance,
and others just listen for fun.
Music brings everyone together
despite differences. So what kind
of music do you like to listen to?
When asking fellow students, It
was easy to see that everyone
liked all sorts of different music.
Matthew St. John, fellow student
said, “I like listening to a variety
of music. In my CD player right
now is Jason Mraz and Sublime,
they would have to be my
favorite.”
Adam Brnik, another student
said, “I’m a big fan of the Red
Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye
Blind and OAR. Their music is so
laid back and relaxing.” Nicole
Davis, a friend of both gentlemen
was on the other side of the
spectrum. “I like all those bands,
but I’m partial to a little rap and
R&B. I like Destiny’s Child, Nelly,
and Eminem.” As for yours truly,
older rock groups is the music of
choice with some rap and R&B,
however riding in my car you
would see Bon Jovi in my player.
bar, made intimate by burnished
wooden floors and a tawny vel
vet wall cresting gently with
wave-like shapes. A copper
panel ‘floats’ behind the full bar
offering a variety of specialty
martini and coffee drinks, includ
ing the house drink, a white san
gria topped off with berries and
an umbrella. The effect is tasteful
North Street Zephyr Express is a mix of old and new
but fun, and the energy is kicked
up a notch on Friday and
Saturday nights as customers
wait for tables or stop in for a
cocktail.
In the warmer summer months,
the enclosed courtyard in the
back of the restaurant was the
place to be. Tropical tablecloths
adorned fourteen tables nestled
amidst hanging baskets of flow
ers and a gently gurgling foun
tain was enticing enough to war-
There is a large broad spectrum
of music that everyone likes.
This is even proven in all the
music stores too. A trip to FYE in
the Harrisburg Mall proved that
ooint when checking out who the
top selling artists were. I was
completely blown away by see
ing how different each selection
was. The top selling CD was
“I like listening to
a variety of
music. In my CD
player right now
is Jason Mraz
and Sublime,
they would have
to be my
favorite.”
- Matthew St. John
Usher: Confessions, followed by
Green Day: American Idiot.
Needless to say, those two
artists are like night and day.
Good Charlotte: The Chronicles
of Life and Death were third,
while following in fourth and fifth
place were Nelly’s dual cds: Suit
and Sweat. Rounding out the
bottom five were REM: Around
the Sun at sixth, Hilary Duff:
Hilary Duff at seventh, eighth
being Tim McGraw: Live Like
You Were Dying, ninth was NOW
16, and tenth was Rascal Flatts:
Feels Like Today. Being already
rant the Friday night wait that
often approached an hour and a
half. Depending on how many
layers you want to wear, you can
still enjoy a meal outside, though
the fountain has been replaced
by an outdoor fire ring, its amber
warmth warding off sinking tem
peratures. An ivy-draped two
story wall buffers the sound of
Photo by Elizabeth Wingate
local traffic and wind, and the
majestic (and recently restored)
dome of St. Patrick’s cathedral
gallantly fills the skyline and
occasionally the air, as wedding
bells chime.
The Zephyr of old was known
for its cozy booths, and the
Zephyr of new boasts jewel-tone,
velvet-upholstered booths, some
of which can cram up to 8 peo
ple. Retro paintings hang along
one wall, and a large oil painting
tides of music waves
in the store provided a good
opportunity to look around and
see what sections everyone was
in. There were people found in
pop/rock, rap, easy listening,
country, and movie soundtracks,
proving that everyone had differ
ent tastes.
Recently, there has been a rend
of comebacks with certain kinds
of music and downfalls for other
types. Rock music is more popu
lar now, and new artists like
Gavin DeGraw, Ryan Cabrera,
Nickelback, and even Ashlee
Simpson have helped in making
this genre more popular.
Alternative music has been
recently becoming more popular
with the young adolescents as
well. Artists like Avril Lavigne,
Good Charlotte, SUM 41, and
Green Day have helped with this
genre succeed. Some people,
like yours truly, are not really
sure how to take this kind of
music. My feeling is that there is
some anger and hostility that
surrounds this type.
Punk rock has come back into
society as being popular now as
well. Some of this may have to
do with last season Real World in
San Diego. Castmate Frankie
was a punk rocker, and adoles
cents watching this show and
hearing what these people do
may have influenced listeners.
Punk bands like Soul Distortion,
Sick of It All, Sublime, Silvertide,
and Buzzcocks are some of the
top banks in the punk rock world.
on the far wall of the dining room
depicts an olive levitating over a
martini. It’s enough to make you
want to order one before asking
for some “Killer Bread” (It’s now
called “Zephyr Bread” on the
menu, but everyone uses the
original name), a crusty French
loaf smothered in cheese and
then broiled until bubbly. If that
sounds a bit rich, a colorful
antipasto of red peppers, moz
zarella cheese, proscuitto, roast
ed vegetables and French bread,
or the sushi-grade, pepper-crust
ed Ahi tuna appetizer (also avail
able as an entree) may just fit the
bill.
Award-winning chili comes
many ways at Zephyr: with
spaghetti, beans, 3-way (chili,
spaghetti, cheese), 4-way (chili,
spaghetti, cheese, onion), or 5-
way (chili, spaghetti, cheese,
beans, onion). Black bean, cajun
gumbo and italian wedding
soups are available by the
steaming cup or bowl and nicely
complement one of the many
salad choices. Zephyr’s menu is
the same at both lunch and din
ner and is very mix-and match
able.
Zephyr's specialty is paper-thin
flatbread pizza with toppings
ranging from shrimp pesto to
veggie cheese to chicken caesar
salad. Popular pasta dishes such
as “The Woodsman,” rigatoni
pasta with sweet Italian sausage,
ricotta and romano cheeses in a
red sauce, and wild mushroom
fettuccini are generously por
tioned and low-carb pasta can be
substituted. Other menu items
include sandwiches like the
Zephyr Melt, a medley of grilled
vegetables atop herbed focaccia
enveloped by melted provolone,
Good Charlotte makes waves in the music industry with
its cutting edge style.
Some groups and solo artists
have been recently going down
hill over the past few months and
even years. Remember the boy
band craze? Where are those
fellow bands now? Justin
Timberlake put out a solo album,
which sold many copies, but he
makes more of a name for him
self with his very famous girl
friend. His other fellow bandmate
JC Chasez put out a solo album
as well; needless to say that did
not go too well. My advice for
these boy-banders, you should
not have left the group.
What about those blonde bomb
shells who are constantly battling
to be the best female artist? Well
two of them are married (Jessica
and the Turban, a smoked
turkey, Swiss, gouda, sweet pick
le and olive filled garlic french
roll. The food is likeable and the
most exotic it gets is when you’re
asked how you’d like your tuna
done. There’s enough variety on
the menu to ensure that every
one is satisfied.
With the exception of entrees
such as the Capicola stuffed
chicken breast ($14.95) or the
Smoked Crab Cake ($15.95),
which are both very good, prices
hover in the $3-$ll range,
adding to Zephyr’s allure as a
place for any occasion. The
restaurant, just steps away from
2nd Street, is a welcome alterna
tive to bars and fills a niche in the
space between more casual and
higher-end establishments.
The weather's getting cold and
gray, and while that’s not the
most appealing forecast, the fact
that Harrisburg’s warming up
isn’t too hard to take. Good
friends and food, a few drinks,
and an inviting spot will definitely
take the chill off, and chances
are reasonable that you won’t
get mugged. That’s not so bad,
in fact, it’s more than good.
Credit Cards: All Major
Smoking: Allowed in bar and in
courtyard
Reservations'. Only for parties of
8 or more
Hours: Monday thru Thrusday
11AM-10PM
Friday: 11 AM-11PM
Saturday: SPM-11PM
NORTH STREET ZEPHYR
EXPRESS
231 NORTH STREET
HARRISBURG, PA 17101
(717) 233-2009
Photos courtesy of www.vhl .com
Simpson and Britney Spears),
and Christina Aguilera has
turned into Marilyn Monroe with
her recent change in appear
ance. All of these young ladies
are very talented, but I think the
craze with these female artists
has faded.
Music has gone through many
changes over the years. Some
styles have returned and are big
ger than ever, while some styles
are long forgotten. Music is a
part of our everyday lives and we
have to embrace it. Music tells
stories, describes emotions, and
in all actuality puts people in bet
ter moods, for the most part. So
what’s in your CD player right
now?