The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 23, 1999, Page Page 4, Image 4
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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:
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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
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i and Brian Chlfders star in Workshop
my-mimmsmm
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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
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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.
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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 ^
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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