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Celtic r< encore editor RUTH NETTLES Yet another rock-fusion band will be playing in the area this weekend. But unlike the others, this one will have four men in skirts holding instruments with names you may not be able to pronounce. Sovan Nafinnc liac nlavoH orrmnrl the world for the last five years, ever since Kirk McLeod of Sumter decided he wanted to create a rock band, "only ours would have bagpipes instead of electric guitars." The band plays old songs, new songs, and original songs. They have done new arrangements of traditional ScotchIrish and Celtic tunes such as "Blackleg Miner" and have also reproduced well-known but more current hits, such as the 80s "Under the Milky Way." The group began playing at highland games and Scottish festivals, but have branched out and open for other groups as well as perform their own /vmoor+c TViov Tmvo ononorl fnr The .Tor. becca Dosen, these are only a few of th< that make USC's current production of try's Good" quite good. ?? (l wonder : f THIS MERL'S CrONNR CO 1^1 SHOULD'VE GONE TO i : WUWi. VUl X11VJ 1MAT V U|yVllVU AVX A AAV/ VVA ry Garcia Band, Three Dog Night, and Alasdair Fraser. McLeod is lead vocals for the group and plays highland bagpipes. He also writes music for the group. The group's newest member, Jamie Holton, plays SPECIAL TC LIGHTS! CAMERA! REACTION! MEET JOE BLACK ' t (out of five stars) "Meet Joe Black" is a romantic drama about an otherworldly presence who assumes human form to enter the life of a powerful businessman Starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. Directed by Martin Brest. Written by Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno, Kevin Wade and Bo Goldman. USC proc staff writer AU FREEMAN A tilted platform immediately introdi kilter responsibilities of a new world, anc ropes and cloth become the scary, dark ship or the romantic glow of a bay. The 1 to come from every place possible. Even tl show the stark contrast between convi bility, with bright red coats and ag frocks. Thanks to Scenic Designer David Cole ing Designer Jim Hunter and Costume E ock-fusit a wide variety of instruments includ- w ing the mandolin and both the high- in land (Scottish) and uillean (Irish) bag- a pipes. The third group member plays a bass cmitar and is known onlv as Stru- a* by. He and McLeod are the only two re- b< maining of the original four. Ashton fa Geoghagan is the group's drummer. ju Seven Nations (known popularly as 0j 7N) has come a long way since their C? first rehearsal in a Sumter barn in 1993. ^ They began as Clan Na Gael, but after discovering 11 other bands use that same name, they changed to Seven Nations, representing the seven nations of the Celtic world. They produced three ^ albums followed by two live compilation albums. During the summer of 31 1997, they played at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Newcomers to the Celtic rock-fusion i; genre are sometimes intimidated by "those guys up there wearing skirts." C All of the band members are of a Scot- ai tish, Irish, or Welsh heritage and dur- ty in| performances wear kilts in their cc family colors. th McLeod told the Lancaster, Penn. News, "It only takes wearing a kilt once to for a man to realize there's no problem is with it as to your masculinity. The hi amount of attention you get from a r 1 gamecock critic ft JAMIE BOWMAN- <>1 combines the elements cc of love, passion and ultimate sacrifice in its portrayal of strength P1 that only the human " soul is cap&ble of possessing. Sl Anthony Hopkins' sums up the entire film > the gamecock when he says, "Love is passion, obsession, something you can- P* not live without." With seemingly perfect perfor- 1X1 mances, the cast pulls you in and grabs hnlH nf vnur heart "Meet .Tne Rlaelr" IUVUV/11 Vil "Our Country's Good," b; baker, is based on true events, aces the off- penal colony in Australia cor 1 platforms, the country's first play, depths of a In the process of this ere; ights seems sues of the meaning and the le costumes are considered. So the audien cts and no- alogue about what it means to ed, beaten With double casting, Direc further demands the audieno man, Light- process, forcing them to be a esigner Re- by using their imaginations. J attributes But "Our Country's Good "Our Coun- ater. When people are hung must also consider human ri IF He LIKES ME?) O "e mi\Jo Ci up P^Y Pe T CP / ?hours 1 Lyh^f/ you up Help children \J receive produi NAI \ 215 Asse mi ban* oman when you wear a kilt, it's amazig. It's better than having a puppy on string." I first heard Seven Nations play ; a highland games two years ago and >came immediately fascinated The ns who appear at performances aren't [st kilt-clad 20-somethings. They are ' all ages from all walks of life who in't help but get excited by the entusiasm of the group and their music. The group will be playing Nov. 20 id 21 at the Newberry Opera House, tie concerts will be taped and produced 3 a South Carolina Educational elevision (SC-ETV) special that will i in March. The band plans to play more perrmances in South Carolina during [arch when the SC-ETV special airs, heir third annual Homecoming con(rt is scheduled to be held in Febru"y in Sumter. The concerts frequent sell out. Tickets for the Newberry incert are available for $25 by calling te Newberry Opera House at 276-6264. Sound clips from the band's CDs, a ur schedule, and other information available on the band's website at ?p://www.sevennations.com. ill of endless dreams and out-of-reach Dportunities. Sparks ignite between lem, but tragedy soon approaches, usan continues her high-paced life ith little thought of the man in the iffee shop, later known as Joe Black. The betrayal story focuses on William Parrish (Hopkins), a man of Dwer, wno nas managea to remain >mpassionate. Parrish's determinaon to maintain his business' legacy lrges as the story progresses. The stories intertwine as Parrish, icounters Joe Black who later reveals is physical self and becomes Parrish's srsonal associate, while his true identy, the personification of death, retains a mystery to all others. Joe inevitably falls in love with Sunn and through experiences that onr love can provide, Joe begins to remsider the original intentions of his arpose in Parrish's life. "Meet Joe Black" serves as a retinder of the power of fate and the ndying strength of love. This movie aves the audience with a sense of hope id enhancement. Besides, Anthony bpkins is the main character, so you qow it's going to be good. ptures a f Timberlake Werten- fortunately, < Individuals in a British consideratioi tie together to perform This prod each perforn ative coiiaDoranon, is- ine actors n impact of the theater each of their i ce listens to onstage di- and each acl be an audience. Clever, to even the s tor Robert Richmond At one p< e's participation in this ter proclaim: part of the production something i find a better " is not just about the- ater, human for stealing bread, one haps yourse ights and dignity. And w donors an earn to $215 r month! off your time could earn i to $65 in one week! , hemophiliacs and heart patients who madia frnm ft ha nlacmi nf near dnanrc The Quality Source Bl BioMedical Center mbly St., Columbia SC 29201 254-2280 >iv;' : . . >:- . ' v^-. '.: ' ' ' gamecock critic hub linudtt All of the problems with "Meet?] Black" come from its self-indulgent to1 affair with Brad Pitt. At least half hour of the film consists of innocei doe-eyed Pitt simply looking arour What's he looking for? Beats me. Anthony Hopkins plays Bill Parri (the initials B.P. pop up throughout t film), an aging communications mog One day, he has a heart attack. Dea and makes a deal with Bill: keep dea entertained in exchange for more tii on earth. What follows is the worst a of over-indulgence I've ever seen on t part of any filmmaker. Pitt is in evt scene from his introduction to the e of the movie. Pitt's character has 01 one uninteresting level. Moreover, the love affair betwe death and the maiden (Forlani) is dra1 out and phony. Perhaps its falseness intentional?death cannot truly ex] rience love?but it takes entirely 1 long to establish this. There are two things that save tl movie irom Deing one 01 tne worst the year: Anthony Hopkins and Jeffi Tambor. Hopkins manages to pull udiencie even the aborigines have stage time a a. uction stands out at USC as one in whi tier is strong. There are no weak linl ave a clear vocal and physical sense roles. There is a strong sense of ensemfc ;or gives a brilliant performance, do> i *vi rtll tiiiaii, jrct muviiig uiuiuo. )int in "Our Country's Good," a char; s, "A play should make you understa lew!" Indeed, this one does. You c understanding of Australia, Britain, tJ rights, convicts, despair, love, and p If, but you must seek it by Nov. 22i I TO Long-term smokers ha wrinkles and other sig: Smo sinci Men who are lifetime nonsmokers. Lon^ preir as lil Wai Pick up a free QUIT KT Health; Gi 1 ?a shame ? " /' "' ' ' : ' SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK a solid performance. At times, however, his flawless, machine-gun delivery of extensive monologues seemed some foe what unrealistic. But the true saviour ve- of this film is Tambor, who plays Hopan kins' right hand man and brings a sense at, of realism and humanity to a cast of id. otherwise dry, one-dimensional, stereotypical characters, ish A simple solution to the problems he of this film presents itself upon reflecul. tion and should have presented itself ith to the director: cut some of Pitt's scenes, ith isfied never to see Pitt lick peanut butne ter off a spoon. It is obvious, however, ise that this movie wasn't made for a meshe sage, unless that message is to love >rv Brad Pitt. nd iiy I SOUND ^ www. ?w tvn staff writer MARCUS AMAKER 5 is ALL-FOR-ME THEOLOGY Albert Hill pe:oo Anyone who listens to Albert Hill knows that this Spartanburg band ths can rock. Their first two full-length of CDs, Fistunderfinger and Machine rey Called Company, thrived, with eneroff getic rock songs that were perfect for all-night jams at the Elbow Room. Fan favorites such as "Rotten" and "Knocks Down" got better and better as the volume got louder and louder. On their new CD, The All-for-Me Theology, Albert Hill has turned down , the volume to produce a more personal n and thought-provoking album. It still . , rocks, but in a much different way than their other CDs. sj. The All-for-Me Theology is the ,? calm after the storm that was Machine 1 e' Called Company. The most recogniz able song on this new LJJ that captures the "classic" Albert Hill sound ac, is ' I-tealigning," a rocker that moves n to the pulse of Kenny Hogan's exan pressive drumming. "Better Times" relates the band's experience er with a certain major record label. "Two years ago in Nashville I was really living then - strong ties to my 0 YOU WAN LOOK OLD1 ive thinner, less elastic skin than nons ns of aging. kers are twice as likely to lose their e smoking leads to periodontal dise smokers are only half as likely to mak '-term smokers are four times more laturely than nonsmokers. And men tely to be bald or balding. nt to quit smoking T and information about our smoking and Wellness, basement of health cenl reat American Smokeou "hursday, Nov. 19,1998 "En Route to Hamlet: Paintings by Tom Stanley," opens Nov. 22, McKissick Museum. "South Carolina Trees and Forests," until Dec. 5, South Carolina State Museum. For more information call (803) 898-4917. "An Elegance Rediscovered: The Paintings of Henry Salem Hubbell," Dec. 13, McKissick Museum. For more information, call (803) 777-7251. "Two Traditions in Transition: Folk Potters of Eastern Germany and the American Southeast," through Dec. 13, McKissick Museum. "'I made this jar...' The Life and Works of the Enslaved African American Potter, Dave," through Dec. 19, McKissick Museum. Phish, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 18, Bi-Lo Center (Greenville, SC). $23.50 adv., $26 day of show. For more information, call 888-386-8497. Shania Twain, 8 p.m., Nov. 21, Dean Smith Center (Chapel Hill, NC). $35 & $26 reserved. "Lord of the Dance," 8 p.m., Nov. 25, Bi-Lo Center (Greenville, SC). $45 & $32.50 reserved. Muse's Night Out: "The Shape of Words," (poetry and pottery), 7-9 p.m., Nov. 19, McKissick Museum. Vinliniot VsrUm flliirman Knu 1Q V lUiUAAUV V UVU1A* Vixumiltuij 11V/T . XVj Roger Center. For ticket information, call (803) 251-2222. "As Bees in Honey Drown," (an ofFBroadway comedy), 8 p.m., through Nov. 21, Trustus Theatre. For more information, call (803) 254-9732. Traditional Craft Workshop: "Kudzu Paper Making," (featuring South Carolina folk artist Nancy Basket), 1-3:30 p.m., Nov. 21. McKissick Museum. "Our Country's Good," until Nov. 22, Theatre USC. For ticket information, call (803) 777-2552. "Tellabration," an afternoon of storytelling, 3-5 p.m., Nov. 22, Heathwood Park. company and the hopes the world might discover me there," sings guitarist and lead vocalist Aaron Whisnant on a song that's getting airplay on radio stations in Greenville and Spartanburg. On "Two Part Traveling," Whisnant sings about the impact a musical career has on relationships. The rest of the album tells about the individual lives of the band members by concentrating on a more melodic snunH One of the reasons The All-for-Me Theology is such a good album is because it shows how versatile Albert Hill can be with their music and its message. Much of the subject matter on the CD is a lot deeper than anything they've ever done before. "Family Foreclosure" and "Microphone" are KrvfVi 4-rv fnmiltr momKnro or\rl uuux uv/uiuaicu WJ icuiuij auu it's evident how much passion went into each recording. As with every Albert Hill album, The All-for-Me Theology is poetry to the listener's ears. The All-for-Me Theology elevates th$ Albert Hill sound to a new level of maturity, while maintaining the stellar instrumentals and lyrics that have given them a strong following throughout the southeast. T ' I ?R? mokers and thus more teeth as nonsmokers, ase. :e it to age 73 as likely to turn gray who smoke are twice > cessation program. is packed with opportunities to smile, J laugh and undoubtedly cause the au- cc dience to shed a fair amount of tears. P1 The movie begins with two stories unfolding simultaneously. One is a bit tersweet love story, the other a story of betrayal and personal struggle to maintain dignity in a dishonest world. ^ The love story begins in a coffee shop with Susan Parrish (Forlani) meeting a man trying to find his place in a city