Would you believe they put a Dan on the Moon?

by Ian Hutchinson

People new to the Boone area might be under the impression that there is little or nothing to do in this town. But after a bit of research, they will learn that Boone has a thriving music scene. One place you can find a variety of musical acts every week is at Murphy's Restaurant and Pub on King Street; one such act is Dr. Dan. He may not know Eminem or even have a Ph.D., but he certainly has had his fair share of experiences in the music business. Dr. Dan Matrazzo, a renowned keyboarder, started out his musical journey at Berklee College of Music in the late 1970s. Around that time, Dr. Dan was in a band called Winter, with Steve Vai and Jeff Sipe. He went on to perform with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's band on the live album "Real Life." Dr. Dan later went to work with underground Atlanta legend Col. Bruce Hampton in a band called the Arkansas Florists. He then played in the Aquarium Rescue Unit and later reunited with Col. Bruce in the Fiji Mariners. Dr. Dan has played with several other notable bands and artists, including Cowboy Mouth, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Stanton Moore of Galactic, The Derek Trucks Band, Les Claypool, Phish, Leftover Salmon, James Cotton, Ween, John Scofield, Taj Mahal, Blues Traveler and Morphine. The last time Dr. Dan visited Murphy's he certainly left an impression on the audience. John Rush, of "The Local Show" on Mountain Times Television (MTTV), said, "(Dr. Dan's show) blew me away. It made Murphy's feel like a big arena rock concert." Dr. Dan is currently touring in support of his new album, entitled "Dan on the Moon." Also joining Dr. Dan is Melvin Baldwin (Dionne Farris, Stereo Popsicle) on drums and Mark Bynum (Blueground Undergrass, Fiji Mariners) on bass. Also, Dave Yoke (Funky Meters, Zambiland Orchestra) can be heard on guitar. If you are looking for something to do this Friday, go see Dr. Dan at Murphy's. For more information, call 264-5117.

Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon leaves old Chicago taste

Kara Hodge Nina

Gordon "Tonight and For the Rest of My Life" CD review Nina Gordon's "Tonight and For the Rest of My Life" brings new sounds and a new vibe with her departure from the acclaimed band Veruca Salt. The Chicago-based band was co-founded by Gordon. Veruca Salt can attribute their two biggest hits, "Volcano Girls" and "Seether," to the writer and vocalist. Gordon's solo success started when she appeared at Lilith Fair '99 with guitarist Michael Eisenstein. Her new album has allowed her to appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and perform in several famous venues. Reportedly, Gordon left Veruca Salt because of different creative interests. Her album "Tonight and For the Rest of My Life" is liberation from the style of the band. She has tried something very new -- a solo project. Gordon's debut album consists of well-written words made into romantic ballads. Her lyrics are poetic, mixing word play and metaphors to create her personal story in the listener's mind. Her songs are up-front and intimate, but sometimes lack the intensity she is capable of. Her previous lyrics were more of the anti-love, angry-girl type, full of passion and an earnest desire to change the world around her. This album has none of that. It is more of a romantic, so-hopelessly-in-love-that-I'm-dying type. Songs, such as "Now I Can Die" and "Hold On To Me," feature lyrics like, "He's got a special ring, yeah, he really loves me, sweethearts and turtledoves," and, "Hold me and tell me what you need ... I'll never want to leave if you just hold on to me." Yes, the lyrics are cheesy and mushy, but they are also the typical types of songs most female, solo artists sing. The one anti-love song on the album, "Hate Your Way," is not really anti-anything. It is a repetition of words like, "I'm a fool for you, I hate your way," yet is another example of a typical, trendy female artist's song, because although love is grand, it hurts, too. The rest of her album is well-written, but she lacks depth in self-reflection and truth. She sings about restlessness and complacency, but does not attribute it to reasons worth talking about. However, her lovey-dovey stuff is good and is the majority of the CD. The actual music is fairly decent, too. Gordon was the melodic part of Veruca Salt and repeats that image in "Tonight and For the Rest of My Life." She whispers, she screams and she belts it out. She plays guitar too-- another noteworthy quality about her. She is a far cry from the teeny-bopper sensations that grace our radio stations. In other words, she ain't no Britney Spears. Gordon has promise in her potential to grow in her writing, and she has major talent. Her voice can tell a story well; her guitar accompanies the lyrics like it should. Gordon knows what she is doing and does it well. This departure album is just the first step of coming into her own as a respected artist. It's a good step. If you liked Veruca Salt, you may like this. It is a different breed, but the same species, if you get my drift. Pick it up if you liked anything at Lilith Fair or if you are a hopeless romantic. For all you angry-girl music lovers, I wouldn't recommend Nina Gordon.

The Department of theatre and dance has Something for Everyone this season

by Kara Hodge

"Something For Everyone" is the theme for the 2000-01 season for the Department of Theatre and Dance. The theme was pulled from a lyric from the second mainstage musical this year, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." "I think it fits what we are trying to accomplish," said Susan Cole, department chair. The department hopes to draw record crowds, but is focusing more on getting the university involved in the production of the 16 shows this year. Joel Williams, production coordinator and professor, said, "Our policy is to involve the entire university community. ... The theatre is an integrated learning process, and the process is our major concern." Williams is directing "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," which will be produced in cooperation with the Broyhill School of Music. The 1963 Tony Award-winning musical was inspired by Roman comedies from the second century B.C. and is a farce with songs, dialogue and action that are lighthearted and silly. "Forum" will run Nov. 15-20 in Valborg Theatre. Other events to happen at Valborg include "Dancing at Lughnasa" Sept. 27-Oct. 2, The Fall Dance Concert Oct. 26-28, "Impossible Marriage" Feb. 21-26, Appalachian Dance Ensemble Mar. 28-31 and "The Elephant Man" Apr. 25-29. "Dancing at Lughnasa," the first mainstage play of the season, will be directed by Cole. "Our mainstage season is one of the strongest we've had in a while," said Cole. "Lughnasa" was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1990 and is regarded as the masterpiece of the Irish playwright Brian Friel. It is the story of the Mundy family in 1936, composed of five sisters and a brother who live with only a radio as their link to the outside world. The title of the play originates from the festival of Lughnasa, which celebrates the pagan god of the harvest. The Greer Arena Theatre will start the season off with the first of five sets of student directed plays. "Bachelor Holiday" and "Scooter Thomas Makes it to the Top of the World" will debut Sept. 20-23. "Bachelor" by Alan Ball is set in a trashy bachelor pad in which a mouse gets caught in a glue trap and causes the roommates to discuss the meaning of life, death and everything in between. "Scooter Thomas" is the powerful drama of a young man reflecting back on the memories of his recently deceased best friend. The other four sets of student directed plays will run Nov. 8-11, Feb. 28-Mar. 3, Mar. 21-24 and Apr. 4-7. Appalachian Young People's Theatre, who presents plays for younger audiences, will present "How Things Happened in Threes" Oct. 6-8. The Freshman Showcase, which provides opportunity for the entire freshman class to act in challenging roles that revolve around college experiences, will run Oct. 18-21. Also in the Greer Series, Playcrafters' New Play Festival will present shows Nov. 29-Dec. 2. The plays include "For the People" by J.C. Farrell, "When Push Comes to Shove" by Matt Phillips and "Jesus Loves Me · " by Maeve McAuliffe. McAuliffe was the creative director for the 2000 production of "Pieces of She," the department's own creation. The special showcase features talents like art, writing, dance and acting from various women in the university. This year's production of "Pieces of She" will run Feb. 14-17 and will benefit Oasis, a local rape crisis-prevention center. The 2000-01 season for the department of theatre and dance invites all students to be involved. Audition lists, call-backs and production opportunities are posted on bulletin boards located on the first floor of Chapell Wilson Hall. For ticket information and bookings, call Valborg Theatre at 262-3063. For more information about how to get involved in the department of theatre and dance, call 262-3028 or visit the website at www.acs.appstate.edu/dept/theatre.

The Cell is a visual wonder, but an actionless dud

by Ian Hutchinson

Vince Vaughn (speaking in a very grim tone): Do you hear that, Miss Lopez? That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound of us being cast into a cheap knockoff of The Matrix. Jennifer Lopez: My name is Puff Mommy. It had to happen sometime. This critic knew it was inescapable that someone would try to make their own version of 1999's The Matrix and now here it is. Catherine Dean (Jennifer Lopez) is a child psychologist who, through the miracles of an unexplained and top-secret pharmaceutical technology, is able to visit her comatose patients in their dreams in an attempt to wake them up. FBI Agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) has been following serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) for a great deal of time. The psychologically-disturbed Stargher has a desire to kidnap beautiful women and slowly drown them in an automated device called "The Cell," which leaves the victims looking like floating dolls. Novak gets his man; however, it turns out that Stargher's own schizophrenia has rendered him comatose and Novak can't figure out where Stargher has placed his latest victim. Novak turns to the Campbell Center for help and teams up with Catherine Dean to jump into Stargher's dream world to find the location of his final victim before she suffers the same fate of the previous women. To its own credit, The Cell does have its own visual style which doesn't really resemble The Matrix at all. It borrows from Three Kings and Seven instead. During the film, there is an odd and fittingly surreal discoloration used in several scenes like Three Kings and several odd film edits like Seven. The dream sequences are incredibly well-done and flow perfectly in the manner of a weird dream. Closets become bathrooms, outfits unexpectedly change and Stargher's past horrors are relived. Sadly, all the great imagery in the world can't save the lack of action and weak character development of the film. Viewers learn much about Carl Stargher's tortured life, but very little about Catherine Dean or Peter Novak, which is a disappointment because both Lopez and Vaughn have been known for solid performances in the past. D'Onofrio plays the many sides of Stargher well, but he doesn't really become a coherent character until the end of the film. If you're waiting desperately for The Matrix II to come out, the visuals in The Cell might tide you over, but if action is what you really crave, you'll find more in Godzilla or Pokemon 2000 than you will here.