1.117! 1i n717M771E11! Photo courtesy of guardian.co.uk Zach tunes in By Zachary Bailey CD Reviewer zsblos@psu.edu ***** Kate Bush returns to the music scene after a twelve-year absence with Aerial. This album had been long anticipated by Kate Bush fans. The album consists of two discs. The first is titled A Sea of Honey. The second is titled A Sky of Honey. I was impressed with the album art from the start; the cover depicts a golden sunset over the water with an image of a sound wave over the top. The inside of the booklet shows various pictures of birds, sailors, sky, and hanging laundry. After viewing the album art I was interested enough to listen. Upon first listen, I was quite shocked. A lot of the songs are piano -based with other synth pad type sounds in the background. The album also has some very sparse arrangements with instruments that tend to weave in and out in a very elegant fashion. I don't really care for Kate Bush's voice. As soon as she started singing in the first track I thought it had to be some kind of joke. To my ears, her voice was the musical equivalent to fingernails on a chalkboard. I couldn't understand a word the woman sings in half of her songs. Her vocal style is very bouncy sounding with a bit too much vibrato for a pop release. In some songs, I had to check the lyrics to make sure that she was still singing in English. I would have liked the songs a lot better if I could have understood what she was singing about. The subject matter of the album varied quite a bit. From the loss of her mother, to her new son, to Joan of Arc, this album jumps from one subject to another without warning. The lyrics on this album were another disappointment. For example, a large chunk of the song Pi is merely Kate Bush spouting off numbers in the mathematical calculation of pi. While I don't have anything against the irrational ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, I still wouldn't want to pay money to hear somebody sing '3.14159265358979323846 2643383279'. The second disc is a bit more cohesive than the first. It contains an epic quality with titles like Nocturn, Sunset, and Somewhere in between. After listening to this album in its entirety, I get the feeling Bush would be more comfortable writing songs for musicals than for a pop album. The album closes with the song Aerial. In this song, Bush sings, "What kind of language is this? I can't hear a word you're saying. Tell me what are you singing," I couldn't help but chuckle to myself because I had been asking the very same questions. I give this album three stars because, even though I can't stand her voice and a portion of the subject matter, I do like the overall sound of the instrumentation on the album and most of the production. < \ OC <K\ OC<W - 0 STII Ceolta's Irish lines reach Harrisburg By Ashley Lockard Photography Editor aflsooo g psu.edu The hype and popularity of Irish culture and heritage can be seen anywhere you go lately. Guys and girls are sporting anything they can find with a clover on it from Notre Dame to Celtics gear, Abercrombie shirts reading "Can't hide that Irish pride", and Guinness logos on anything you can think of. This trend of Irish fascination is not just seen in fashion; it has also hit downtown Harrisburg's restaurant row. Countless Irish bars and restaurants are in our area on either shore and now downtown there are three within a three-block radius of each other. Three weeks ago, Ceoltas Irish Pub opened at 310 N. 2nd St., located between Kokomo's and Mars. Ceoltas (pronounced "key ole-tas") seems to be the new "it" spot for Irish bars around town. They seem to have the right idea to keep them around, pulling a lot of staff and customers away from the old hype of Molly Brannigan's very easily by having a lot more to offer. The second you walk in the foyer the muffled sounds of 'a hearty crowd of people gathered in from the cold can be heard. Upon entering, a cozy atmosphere, dimly lit by large lantern chandeliers and antique looking lamps on the bar, takes you right in. The room is stuffed full with oversized benches, high-top bar tables, and dark wooden dining tables with velvet chairs. Depending where you sit, you may enjoy you neighbor's conversations. Although this adds to the laid back, comfortable atmosphere of enjoying the Cultures on campus By M. E. Adams Staff Reporter meall6B@psu.edu Drop by the sofa sectional in the lobby of Olmsted and dis cover a culturally diverse group of students engaged in conver sation. Dressed in baseball caps and T-shirts of basketball teams and rock groups, a lively repar tee tickles those who take notice. Several students gather around a laptop to watch a movie, while others study. Add music to this mixture of work and play, and cultures meld together. At Penn State Harrisburg, a mélange of ethnic backgrounds affords across-cultural experience to students. Most foreign students are not freshmen because most countries prefer undergraduate degrees be obtained in their own country. Nevertheless, this year's freshman class is comprised of 40 percent non-white students: American Indian/Alaskan Native; African American or Black; Asian & Pacific American; Latino/ Hispanic American; Puerto Rican; White American; and Foreign. "We're really pleased we were able to achieve that goal by using all the criteria that we had there. If a minority is a freshman, they got here because they made the cut like everyone else, or not because of special programs," said Thomas Streveler, director company of friends, I definitely wouldn't recommend taking a date or someone you'd like to get to know out to eat here. Between the loud, rowdy chatter and background music you won't get to know much of anything about them. Yelling across the table to your friends over good food Ceolta's Irish Pub recently opened in downtown Harrisburg, which prides it self on its "perfect Guinness" with its beer lines being straight from Ireland. and drinks is one thing, having intimate dinner conversation is another and won't happen here. The second positive feature that no other Irish bar offers downtown is live music. The meaning of the name Ceoltas itself represents a place where musicians gather and play together, like a jam session. Currently, the pub offers these live gatherings on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 10 p.m. with performances from local and regional rock bands such of enrollment services. With music playing on his laptop, Gez Gomez, 20-year-old African- American majoring in Structural Design Engineering Technology, believes the African-American culture livens up the atmosphere at school. "It makes people feel easier going to class," he said. "Students from bigger cities, as minorities, tend to open up more because they're from a more open environment and exposed to a lot of things. Myself and the guys bring a funny kind of loose. ' We're here to have fun and bring liveliness into class. We have no shame. We get up to do things just because It's how we were raised - to get a laugh." Tish Holmes, 18, business marketing, believes that being an African-American brings diversity to the campus. "It eliminates From left: Alexis McFall, Gez Gomez, Tamara Davis, Ken neth Trail, Chris Ziino, Chavez Vasquez, Ngan Hong, Can dice Johnson, and Victor Rodriguez hanging out in Olmsted. as The Approach, Riverboys, Stand, Jim Roberti, and Jack the Lad. They are also considering offering live traditional Celtic music on Sunday nights and they have been premiering a DJ on Thursdays. The owner is very particular about having the perfect Guinness, so, you can rest assured you will get an authentically tapped queen's pint when coming here, as these beer lines are actually imported straight from the Emerald Isle. Out of the 11 beers they serve on draft, I was particularly excited about their other Irish import, Smithwick's (pronounced "Smiddicks"). Although, do not be alarmed if when asking for this beer by its proper name you are improperly corrected by your server. I was disappointed my some types of stereotypes of African-Americans," she said. "I love the campus because it's very diverse," said Janessa Byard, 19, health and human development/Spanish. Byard is a Photo by M. E. Adams/The Capital Times mix of African-American, White, Puerto Rican, and German. "I think I bring a lot of culture because I'm more than one culture and have different views on life." "We're bringing in the noise The Capital Times, November 28, 2005 9 A II 0 0 I server did not know better, after all, if the owner is that picky about his beer, shouldn't his servers know how to pronounce them? For being an Irish pub you would think so, but at least they offer it, unlike a few others in the area. The menu at Ceoltas is definitely tempting if you like Irish food. Photo by Matthew Mahoney/The Capital Times They adopted and expanded on the menu of their sister restaurant, Siamsa . Irish Pub, located in Stroudsburg, PA. They offer traditional Irish fare including fish and chips, whiskey-chicken, shepherd's pie, and even an all day Irish breakfast with eggs, rashers (Irish bacon), bangers (Irish sausage), black and white puddings (a blend of grains and meat that's fried), fried chips, and you can also add beans. The Guinness stew was definitely because we're black," said Kenneth Trail, 18, accounting and finance. "I feel like the token black guy. When I'm trying to be friendly some people don't respond. In classes, though, we all know each other." is Spanish and Irish. "I definitely feel like a minority," said Keith Wiggins, 18-year-old African-American majoring in electrical engineering. "At first I didn't see African-American males, now I see more. We're still tasty with hearty pieces of beef, carrots, and potatoes, and was large enough to feed two. The only thing that would have made it better is if it was served with colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes with cabbage), but that's just my preference. If you aren't into Irish cuisine, don't worry. The menu features typical bar food such as wings, nachos, and potato skins. They also offer non-Irish selections including burgers, steak, fish, salads, and various sandwiches. Some items also come in lunch portions with discounted prices. Ceolta's is open seven days a week for lunch until 4 p.m. and for dinner. They host a happy hour every weekday from 5 to 7 p.m. where they offer $3 import drafts and $1.50 domestic drafts. They are looking to start offering a different Irish specialty entrée each day in smaller portions for $5 off during happy hour as well. The bar is open every night until 2 a.m. and offers live music currently on Friday and Saturday. Ceolta's Irish Pub 310 N. Second St. Harrisburg, PA 17101 Phone: 717.233.3202 CC: All major Avg. dinner for two, w/o drinks, $5O Two full bars Smoking and non-smoking Wheelchair accessible send ideas to captimes@psu edu or drop some snail mail in the suggestion box. underrepresented. The African- American culture definitely brings a lot of excitement on campus sports, clubs. We bring the noise." "I feel the most different because I don't see any Spanish people around here. I know two other people," said Brian "Chavez" Vasquez, 18-year-old Peruvian majoring in aerospace engineering. "I'm the one who brought music. I do Spanish, they do hip-hop," he said, pointing to a nearby group of students. Since we grew up in an urban area, we tend to stick to the very outgoing and urban." Vasquez returns to Peru every year and looks for every opportunity to spread his culture. "I love my country to death," he said. "I feel comfortable," said Julie Tran, 18, criminal justice. "For me, in a lot of writing assignments express my culture [Vietnamese]. I express my culture to my classmates and expose them to it." "I don't treat people any different. I'm from Florida, I see no Sepideh Safaee, 18, pre-med, is a quiet Iranian student who enjoys learning about different cultures. Safaee has moved 16 times in 18 years Iran, Dubir, Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. As an African from Nigeria, Tobe Ofoha, 18, business administration, believes there is a good balance of diversity on campus. difference," said Candice Johnson, 18, nursing, who "I don't see cultures, I see people," said Krystal Miranda, 18, White American majoring in elementary education. "Different See CULTURE on 11 The Capital Times is look ing for suggestions for the Hot Spot section.
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