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ma In Page 4 D^ninn TAWV^IVSI I I by Ricky deLeon Gamecock Critic Albeit a Clemson product, 7 Miles has expanded well into surrounding areas and made a strong impact on the local scene. As a testament to their popularity and praiseworthy future, 7 Miles sold 1,500 copies of their self-titled debut CD before broadening their range outside the Clemson area. The quintet consists of lead vocalist and keyboardist Travis Abercrombie, a guitarist duo of Jason Henderson and Will Pugh, bassist Dennis Mitchell and drummer Ryan Reeves. They have released another CD entitled Everyone. Before I give you a fantastic review of a fantastic pair of CDs, let me introduce a concept to you. During a movie, many of the most powerful scenes have background music that somehow establishes the mood for the situation. And 7 Miles' debut is a complete set of moods. "Leaving on Saturday" and "Down the Line" are soulful departing songs, leaving you wanting more. "Darkest Day" and "Sun^^^^^g^ sion" ereate what ^ seems V JBSmK a dismal day nage and ym distraught thoughts. ^ songs such as y^^^^ "Gonna Drive" and "Imperfections" are catchy tracks with pure rock 'n' roll drive strong enough to fuel any road trip. The second CD, Everything, is slightly different. The entire CD is loaded with songs for a road trip. The majority start off slowly, giving you just IP HEi: f w js|h|? Jim Mooney (left), Amanda Brown ing May 7 through 19. Features Roundup Staff Repeats Political mudslinging. Backstal Even a future first lady who stands b miliar? It should ? it happened ove the Second Continental Congress.. May 19, it's back in Workshop Theal of "1776," bringing to life the heat? - * aC Tt\/Ia*uvi blgiuug HI UIC imimauuu Vi uiu?fra Winner of five Tony Awards, inc] "1776" is a funny, high-energy show \ its place and puts a heart, soul and v< only thought you knew. The conflic of that hot, muggy Philadelphia si the very first song, "Sit Down, John Congress begs the obnoxious and dia shut up about voting "yes" for indep The author of '1776," Peter Ston moment composer/lyricist Sherman 1 him: "hi that song is the entire fabric i It's affectionately irreverent You ar t c leciek M a I, jazz 7 Miles from left: Jason Henderson Abercrombie (vocals, keyboard) anc Will Pugh (guitar, keyboard, backing ?? . L enough time to pick up the beat. GradL ually, the tempo picks up, and the lyrics kick in. Great songs such nc "OamhlintT Man " Kil On Me" and rerything" seem they are song mat catches the ear is ^ "Places I've never Been." Staying true to the local music scene, 7 Miles incorporates places of proximity, such as Harden Street and Charleston's Music Farm into their songs. Both CDs are great compilations of what everyone loves to listen to= Even PK Ltf $, $fk V uit tl F IF f % pV ? A >. i and Brian Chlfders star in Workshop my-mimmsmm t 5; , -* 4- . - H pie whom no om figures," Stone si Arng congressmen, y her man. Sound &- Fnmklto Marki r^yearsagowitb Smith ^ Richard And May 7 through JRobert|allock? :res new production JotaDickimon , d events behind the cockj Jami Steel ldfnce> Martha Jeffersor luding Best Musical, "1776" is dire hat leaves history in ^ion by Scott: ace to the people you Swicegood. Set d( ts and personalities evocative set of t immer are set with Hall Lighting de t," in which a fed-up desi<m the elflho liked John Adams to Sponsorship for * endence. 'Hie box office e, loved ike song the and ticket sales f< Awards played it for ets for "1776" are ind level of the show, itary and studen; e involved with peo- for Tuesday, We mc( reekeid t All Aboard Fo mm m artists re mBk - - . wMi Wn* f iiiig'- iini Special to The Gamecock (guitar), Ryan Reeves (drums), Travis I Dennis Mitchell (bass). Not pictured: ; vocals). though lack of funds covild have been * 1 " "? r*t 1 usea as a crutcn, / lvmes nas an excess amount of talent as compensation. This band has already produced many great tunes and powerful lyrics, better than many bands on nationally known labels. Today, 7 Miles will be the special guest openers for the Tinbenders w at the New BrookB land Tavern. The Tinbenders are i another great local band and will pair up nicely with 7 Miles. The promising show will begin at about 10 p.m. # ' : ; ; ^V ' /if'f ,P#ir::;?fefc' ? 4AA > in flflin * An x?i wjjsjm mM ^B iJiUiH m&i^hh Special to the Gamecock Theatre's production of "1776," play:; : I m I If Bill HIS : . ? has met before, except as cardboard lid. ignc lor maepenueiice are cast mourners 5 John Adams, Jim Mooney as Benjamin agham as Thomas Jefferson and Richard [ Henry Lee. Opposing independence are is Edward Rutledge and Dave Reed as Uso featured are Lee Smith as John Hanas Abigail Adams, Amanda Brown as i and Jonathan Monk as the courier, cted by Clarence Felder, with music diBednarzyk and choreography by David esigner Walter O'Rourke will create the he room we now know as Independence sign is by Barry Sparks. Janet Kile will rate period costumes for the cast of 27. 1776" is provided by Walker-White Inc. will open for members at noon April 26, >r the general public start April 29. Tick ! 5J>I5 tor adults ana tor seniors, milts. There is a special student rate of $10 dnesday and Thursday performances. J1 ue i intern r Fun Time Please r by Rob Lindsey Gamecock Critic 1/2 Charlie Hunter can't sit still. For those who don't know, Hunter plays the eight-string guitar. The top three strings are bass strings; the bottom five are standard guitar strings. With this innovative instrument, he can lay the foundation for his songs with a driving bass groove and simultaneously play solos or accompaniment. He is a virtuoso who can morph his tone to sound like a smooth, grooving Hammond B3 organ or a hard-edged Jimi Hendrix wah-driven guitar. This versatility has given Hunter the opportunity to experiment with several different styles and several different band lineups. First, he played with a trio: saxo- ^^ phon- v ist and a drummer. They ^ apiPM put out two ^5 albums: 1993's self-titied debut and 1995's bine, bing, bing. He added a second saxophonist for 1996's Ready, Set ... Shango and 1997's iVatfy Dread, a jazzy, instrumental remake for the Blue Note cover's series of Bob Marle/s classic album. Each of these albums, except Natty Dread, has a fairly traditional feel, with slow and fast grooves and horn and guitar solos. In 1998, he shook up his standard sound and his band by eliminating horns altogether. Pound For Pound, his new quartet consists of a drummer, a percussionist, a vibraphone player and him On their album, Return of the Candyman, Hunter focuses more on the solid grooves and heady rhythms than on Coon t>roi h it with by Kevin Langston Interim Vid Picker Joel and Ethan Coen followed up their critically acclaimed film "Fargo" with "The Big Lebowski," a tale of an unlikely hero in an unlikely situation. Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is known to all his friends as "The Dude." He is a bum. The Dude lives in a modest apartment in Venice Beach, Calif., where he enjoys the occasional White Russian and acid flashback. He never amounted to anything, and he's quite complacent with that. His life's pleasures come in the form of the local bowling league, listening to Credence Clearwater Revival and smoking pot. Now, The Dude is not your first candidate for Time's Man of the Year, but by the movie's end, you can't help but love the guy. In a serious case of mistaken identity, The Dude's rug is urinated on by two men who are looking for the millionaire Jeff Lebowski. The Dude, bent on getting his rug replaced, goes to Lebowski's mansion to ask for a replacement. His logic: It was his rug they wanted to urinate on, so the "real" Jeff Lebowski owes him a rug. The Dude didn't intend for this meeting to eventually thrust him into a world of crime. The Dude is asked to play the role of courier in the kidnapping of Lebowski's scandalous wife, Bunny. However, the exchange goes wrong and The Dude now has the kidnappers, the law, Mr. Lebowski and a porn king chasing after him. The situation makes for a funny situation with The Dude's gung-ho friend Walter (John Goodman), who still thinks he's in Vietnam, and Donny (Steve Buscemi), who can never seem to get a grasp on the conversation. The critics didn't warm up to "The Big Lebowski" like they warmed up to "Fargo." The plot is quite intertwined, with this one pothead winding his way from beginning to end. He maintains a pretty strict regimen of drugs to keep from going insane. What started as a personal conquest to get his rug back ends with The Dude trying to solve a kidnapping. V ilnment Sectlai Friday, April 23, laaa 4 lew CDs Ovt of bvr itan the extended horn I solos of his previ- I ous On Hunter's ?*Aa new album, he I shakes up again. This time, his project actually a double billing, featuring ^ IPQPl M him and drummer/ percussionist Leon "S^p Parker. The album ^^HHnps is simply called duo and is outstanding. ^ Jjjj?H These two mu- I sicians can make their seemingly I Hunter | brings his full Special to The Gamecock range of tones: or- Charlie Hunter plays eight-string guitar on his latest gan, guitar and a,bum Cuo with drummer Leon Parker (not pictured). bass. And Parker is with the exception of "Mean Streak," is an extremely talented drummer uti- performed live in the studio with no lizing Latin and funk rhythms. He 0verdubs. When you hear the album, uses a very small drum kit, but uses all with its intricate rhythms and parts of it, including the metal rims of melody lines, youH understand what a his drums and the sticks themselves. feat this truly is. At the same time, howAll but three of the ten tracks on evei.; the fun that these two virtuosos the album are Hunter s compositions, have pulses through every beat, every Especially good are the lead-off track note. Their incredible technique does MeanStreak with a^hd smooth per- not overshadow solid compositions and cussion groove and Don t Talk (Put hty songwriting. Look no farther Your Head on My Shoulder), an un- than the Latin feel of the doging er^a, co-r un?'. track "Calypso for Grampa" to find this Perhaps the most incredible aspect out ot tftis aiDum is tnat tne entire tning, The humor in this film is much more fljMjP mood is much less severe, and the char- m acters are easier to get along with. hjIHHd It is a shame this movie didn't get B|\*u i r> as much acclaim as it should have. It ^ W wi* \ /A JmBm ~ ~ , > , t - ,? : , . - , ' " v,, ^ ^ - ,* _s, I .i "M' :?<;> :" . : I . , ...... i . . " 11 1 l i. Ashton June Assistant Photo Editor USC African dancers strut their funky stuff in front of an appreciative audience. The performance, last Thursday, was part of Preston Week