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Quote of the Day "When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” - Kikuyu Proverb UPlC (gamecock Wednesday, September 6, 2000 Jonathan Dunagin The Gamecock Motherload performed Saturday at the Elbow Room. Vocalist and guitarist Marty Fort is the head promoter for Dark Wednesday, a show that brings in national and regional metal and Goth bands to Columbia. Dark Wednesday rekindles scene Christopher Coyle The Gamecock Scott Brewer performs at The Dark Wednesday Show last Wednesday night. It was a celebration of Body Rites third anniversary. by Jonathan Dunagin BThe Gamecock fter the success of last week’s Goth show, which featured a full-body suspension in honor of Body Rites’ third anniversary, there was no questioning the popularity of “Dark Wednesday” at the Elbow Room. Tonight, Dark Wednesday will feature Hatebreed, one of hardcore’s most versatile acts, along with Sworn Enemy and Hopesfall. It will be an all-ages show. Dark Wednesday is the brain child of Motherload vocalist and guitarist Marty Fort. Since the closing of Rockafella’s over two years ago, the Metal and Goth scene in Columbia has been virtually non-ex istent. Dark Wednesday is Fort’s attempt to reestab lish it. According to Fort, after Rockafella’s closing, there was no heavy music in Five Points for almost a year because no one else would carry the shows. Fort says having Dark Wednesday will allow peo ple to hear some of the best bands from the region, ranging from black metal, hard rock, hardcore and Goth on a weekly basis. “[Dark Wednesday’s] main goal is to keep heavy music in Five Points,” he said. “We’re trying to get students involved. That’s what makes the scene.” According to Taylor Marshall-Green, WUSC’s station manager and host of Monday night’s Hardtime Loud Rock Radio, having Dark Wednesday in Five Points is essential. “Fubar [in West Columbia] has got a decent heavy scene going, but they’re like two zip codes away,” Marshall-Green said. “It just makes it more convenient.” Marshall-Green realized the importance of reestab lishing a metal and goth scene in the area in order to keep a diverse range of music in Columbia and got WUSC involved by sponsoring the event. “I want WUSC to be part of promoting different scenes,” Marshall-Green said. “So when [Fort] asked me if I wanted to be a key factor in promoting [Dark Wednesday], and when he said Goth and metal, my eyes lit up.” Marshall-Green, along with Trey Lofton, a talent buyer and promoter for the Elbow Room who’s re sponsible for securing many of the national acts in cluding Hatebreed, have successfully placed some of the bands featured on Dark Wednesday. However, it is mainly through the efforts of Fort, acting as an independent promoter, that the shows are established. “Marty’s a big engineer in this,” Marshall-Green said. “He does most of the leg work.” Although Dark Wednesday is enjoying a rash of success, the Elbow Room has been having difficulty maintaining a set schedule. “Unfortunately we don’t get every Wednesday be cause of scheduling [problems],” Marshall-Green said. “Eventually we want to get it where it’s consistent, puffing in [shows] every Wednesday of the month.” For now, Dark Wednesday is going to continue bringing in the best in goth and metal music as often as they can. They’re already gearing up for next week’s show featuring death metal band Preoccupormorte. The next goth show is scheduled for September 27th at New Brookland Tavern and the November 1st Death Across America Tour featuring metal bands Vader, Dying Fetus and Cephalic Carnage. “We want to create it where you know what to do Wednesday night,” Marshall-Green said. “In stead of sitting around, wondering what you’re doing that night, you get your ass to Elbow.” For more information about upcoming Dark Wednesday shows, or if you are in a band interested in performing, email Marty Fort at www.dark wednesdayl3@hotmail.com The spotlight desk can be reached at gamecockspotiight@hotmaiLcom. Body Rites celebrates third anniversary in style by Christopher Coyle The Gamecock A specialty show was held on Wednesday, August 30, at the Elbow Room to celebrate Body Rites’ third anniversary. . Body Rites, a body piercing studio in Five Points, present ed a show which featured both “play piercing” and “hook pulls,” followed by the grand finale, a “full body suspension.” The suspension featured six steel hooks embedded in people’s backs. The hooks were used to lift them off the ground, sus pending them for more than eight minutes apiece. A gruesome sight for some, but for others it’s simply a cele bration. Like most specially shows, this one also opened with the oblig atory “don’t try this at home” speech, delivered by Body Rites co-owner Scott Brewer. Performers Jo Innes and Donna Carter started the show with play piercings, which consisted of 24-gauge needles, smaller than standard earring posts, with streamers implanted temporarily in the skin. Each women had more than 30 total piercings done. These piercings proved to be a crowd pleaser, as well as a warm up for the more intense piercings. “You get a natural hi - it’s pure euphoria,” Carter said, ex plaining her motivations'i'o do the show. After the show, several people asked the two women if the temporary piercings hurt. “That [the play piercings] was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced. I sound like a sick f**k, but it just did not hurt ‘til the tips came out,” Innes said. Following the play piercings, Kevin Brewer, co-owner of Body Rites and brother of Scott Brewer, and Sarah Wooten, an employee of Body Rites, played tug-of-war using the two hooks implanted in their backs. Stretching a small purple rope across the stage, they strained against each other, their backs moving forward and backward to a soundtrack created especially for this event. Brooks Emery, a native of Oklahoma City who flew into Co lumbia for the event, performed a four-hook lift of a woman sit ting on a swing. He did this while suspended by a pulley system attached to his back. This was Emery’s first time as a hook-piercee, but he had done piercing for several other shows out West. With two Body Rites assistants holding back the crowd, Emery held a woman in the air for more than five minutes. The girl, sitting in the swing, swung back and forth in the modified play ground contraption. Going into the show, Emery didn’t quite know what to ex pect. j Body Rites SEE PAGE 10 Christopher Coyle The Gamecock What’s Happening Wednesday September, 6 Billy G’sAVayne Gipps Acoustic 21+Af ter 10pm. No Cover, Show starts at 9pm. Elbow Room: Hate Breed All Ages show $7 Tickets. Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm Village Idot: Joel Rush 21+ Starts at 10pm. Five after Five - Five Points Fountain: Shades of Grey 6:30 p.m. No Cover Thursday, September 7 Billy G’s: The Ticket 21+ After 10pm. No Cover Show Starts at 9:30pm. Elbow Room: Junior Brown 18 + S15 Tickets Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm. Jammin Java: Jammin Java Jazz All Ages No Cover Show Starts at 9pm. Macs On Main: All Shows, All .Ages, two beverage minimum with no Cover. Blues Jam Session Starts at 8pm. Sundance Grille: Joshua Roberts & Ryan Monroe 21+After 10 pm. No Cover Starts at 9pm. Willys: Jim LeBlanc All Ages No Cov er Show Starts at 8pm. Friday, September 8 Billy G’s: Tootie & The Jones 21+After 10pm No Cover Show Starts at 9:30pm. Elbow Room: Dezeray’s Hammer 18+ $5 Tickets Doors open at 8pm, Show starts at 10pm. Jammin Java: Jef Chandler All Ages S2 Cover Show Starts at 9pm. Jillians: The Resonators 21+ $5 Cover Show starts at 8pm. Macs on Main: All Shows, All Ages, two beverage minimum with No Cover. 4th ElementfJazz band comprised of USC jazz students) Starts at 8pm. Sundance Grill: Muddy Quarters 21+No Cover Starts at 10pm. Willy’s: SEC Fan Jam: The Whatever Band All Ages No Cover Show Starts at 8pm. Saturday, September 9 Billy G’s: Speed Bumps 21+ No Cover Show Starts at 10pm. Elbow Room: Five Way Friday 18+ $7 Tickets Doors open at 8pm, Show starts at 10pm. Jammin Java: Phil Norman, All Ages S2 Cover Show Starts at 8pm. Jillians: Contagious 21+ $5 Cover Slow starts at 9pm. Macs On Main: All Shows, All Ages, two beverage minimum with no Cover. Jeff Liberty Starts at 8pm. Sundance grill: Volley 21+ No Cover Starts at 10pm Campus Notes Writer to speak at USC USC’s English Department is sponsoring a speech 8 p.m. Thursday in at Gambrell Room 153. Tom Lutz, cultural historian, will be speaking on “Cosmopolitan Vit sas: Regionalism and the Question of Lit erary Value.” For more inf o, call Dr. Greg Fortner at 777-2332. Dance Association to hold monthly event The Greater Columbia Chapter of the US Amateur Ballroom Dance Association will hold its monthly dances 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. September 9 and 23 at the Hugh Dimmery Memorial Center, 680 Cherokee Lane, West Columbia, near air port exit 113 on 1-26. Casual dress. Ad mission is $4 for national USABDA mem bers, $7 for non-members and $3 for students. Non-alcoholic refreshements will be available and a complimentary dance lesson will be offered at 7:45. All social and competitive dancers and speca tors with an interest in ballroom dancing are invited to attend, Membership isn’t required. Singles are welcome. For info, call Mike Verdone, 407-0132 or Grace Keller, 957-9259. Battle of Gettysburg top ic of library display The Thomas Cooper Library has com piled an exhibit detailing the battle of Get tysburg that is on display, during normal library hours, 7:30 run -midnight week days mid 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Saturday’s and 1 p.m. to midnight on Sundays through Sept. 10 on the library’s mezzanine lev-' i ' cl.