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.