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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, September 13, 2002 K 7 CONTACT US ' THEY SAID jT Story ideas?Questions? Comments? oruiAunu CDaui/i ■». E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: The best of all medicines are rest and fasting. BY RACHEL BEATTY THE GAMECOCK Sophomore CD releases can be a stressful undertaking. Music critics “lick their chops,” fans are hopeful and bands themselves start to get a little nervous. Local Columbia band Captain Easy, however, appears to be tak ing it all in stride. The band has L fully jumped into the promotion *' ■ of its second CD, “Picture Perfect World,” released after three months in the making. “We think it’s a little more mel low, but it’s starting to point in the right direction of where the band wants to go,” said Ryan Monroe, who sings and plays key boards. Captain Easy continues on the path of the success created by its first album, “Greatest Hits.” That CD, along with live performances and constant touring, garnered the band quite a bit of praise. In 2001, Captain Easy won the WARQ 93.5 Locals Live Acoustic Challenge. That same year, it was named one of the top 10 most promising bands by the Free Times, which also named “Greatest Hits” the 2001 top South Carolina release. Captain Easy fol lowed up its initial success this year when it was named the most promising band by the Free Times. In addition to high praise in local newspapers and ra dio stations, Captain Easy has accumulat ed a fan club in Khk the state, Hit where people traveling to various cities to see the band perform. The live shows, which include light shows and uniforms for the band, are energetic and original. Captain Easy’s first album sold 700 copies in less than six months. This is not surprising, given the band’s infectious sound. And Monroe said the new album is al ready reaching a higher level of success. “It’s doing considerably better than the first one was the week af ter we released it,” Monroe said. He also said that, with the mon ey the band has made so far from selling CDs, each member has ^ bought a ■ dune B buggy. By B incor W porat w ing bits of different musical genres, Captain Easy can satisfy nearly all tastes. They focus primarily on classic rock, namely from the ’70s, while bringing a contemporary edge. A larger band, with six people, Captain Easy can include a lot of different sounds and various in struments in its songs. The band also commonly uses vocal har monics in its music. Captain Easy has pretty hum ble beginnings, as most local bands do. The members of the band began collaborating while in high school, but each member drifted away in college to follow his own musical desires. In fact, Captain Easy was not nucnucu iu Singer and guitarist Josh Roberts rounded the band up in 1999 to play at a festival to support his acoustic career. He recruited for mer drummer Shaun Riffle, per cussionist Josh Riffle, guitarist Matt Train and bassist Matt Alsup, all former high school bandmates of Roberts. The first show went so well, they decided to give performing a go. After Monroe was added to the mix in 2000, Captain Easy’s sound became a group effort. Roberts and Monroe take the lead and lay the framework while the other band members add their own twists to songs. On the new album, Captain Easy has also stretched out the instrumentation by incorporating ^ . tar. “Picture Perfect World” was re leased only in Columbia at Manifest Discs and Tapes on Tuesday and is available exclu sively at Manifest until Sept. 17, when it will be officially released to the public. Captain Easy will hold an offi cial CD release party tonight at Senate Park in the Vista. As for the show itself, Monroe said, “There’s going to be a big party. We have lots of surprises planned.” “I just hope everyone has a good time,” Monroe said. “And I love my brother!” Tickets can be purchased at Senate Park, Manifest Discs and Tapes, and online at http://www.etix.com. All ages are wel come. Prices for tickets are $6 for people 21 and over and $8 for those under 21. The I show begins at 10 p.m. PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Captain Easy will hold a party tonight at Senate Park to celebrate the ^^new CD. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor @hotmail.com CD REVIEW Todd paints poetic portrait “THE GOLDEN STATE” -* Mia Doi Todd . ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY MEG MOORE THE UAMEGOCK Mia Doi Todd does not write ra dio songs; she paints portraits, ex ploring themes of life and liberty within tunes primed for art-gallery play. On “The Golden State,” her k ' Columbia Records debut, she es tablishes herself as a perceptive lyricist, weaving her words over melancholy melodies. While it is a solid album, Todd’s latest release sounds more like a promising start than a product of her years spent performing and her three prior in dependent records. A skilled poet, Todd mixes • Eastern ideology with vivid im agery and throws in a bit of deli cately veiled feminism to taste. The somber lull of her musical arrange ments accent her lyrical claim that “paralysis is everywhere.” In songs such as “Independence Day,” a chilling commentary on the price of war and ambition, she weaves visions of lakeside fire works with the darker realization that “All [her] heroes have turned human this year.” “Growing Pains,” another in sightful work, explores the growth of the individual as well as the evolution of nations. Tracks such as these establish Todd as a powerful social commentator. Meanwhile, “Merry Me” explores the role of women in society and “Hijikata” addresses Eastern phi losophy. Undoubtedly, Todd has a lot to say about a variety of subjects and establishes herself as a pow erful social commentator. But her vocals sound more like an added instrument than a voice of experience. The songs on “The Golden State” come across as New Age elevator music — they do not do justice to her truly ex ceptional lyrics. Todd has the potential to be the poet laureate of the music world, but the passive tone of her music undermines the power of her words. Granted, the sparse, dark arrangements that sneak along beneath her Dido-esque vo cals complement the ominous, questioning tone of her lyrics. The end result, however, is not as much a powerful exposition of ideas as it is background music for intellectuals. “The Golden State” lacks variety and is void of the musical power needed to support Todd’s poignant mus ings. Lines such as “The hermit and the hero walk in parallel lines/One with bow and arrow, the other bowed eyes” deserve to be heard, but are buried beneath the overall effect. Though loaded with quotable lines, “The Golden State” plays like a movie soundtrack — it es tablishes tone but, without the di alogue (or in this case, Todd’s ex pressive lyrics), lacks meaning. Ideally, Todd could follow the pop star trend du jour and publish a book of poetry; her work might actually sell for its literary merit rather than star quality. Todd’s words would sound more profound if left in text rather than buried in song. Because Mia Doi Todd writes so poignantly, “The Golden State” shortchanges its listeners by not letting her lyrics shine. Todd has released a worthy major-label debut that is both an anthology of poetry and a collec tion of ethereal melodies. She will have released a masterpiece when she produces an album in which the two accentuate one an other instead of one in which both struggle to be heard above the hushed din of art-gallery con versation. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com DVD REVIEW Rerelease worth a second look “RESERVOIR DOGS: SPECIAL EDITION" Starring Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi *★★★★ out of BY BEN ANGSTADT THE GAMECOCK Reservoir Dogs are back again. It’s the 10th anniversary of “Reservoir Dogs,” Quentin Tarantino’s landmark film that made its debut at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. It jump-started a no table career for Tarantino and helped spawn numerous filmmak ers who wished to follow in his bru tal-yet-straightforward style. While many moviegoers have seen the film already, they haven’t seen it like this: This two-disc set comes packed with all kinds of special features, including cast and crew interviews and two al ternate camera angles for the in famous “ear scene.” This second DVD version of “Reservoir Dogs” was released with four different covers, each of which features a character from the movie and a corresponding color, as well as a limited-edition brown cover that features Tarantino and his signature. For those who haven’t seen the movie, it’s a true masterpiece of filmmaking that juxtaposes a gritty depiction of gangland heists with the simple, realistic humor that Tarantino handles so well. The movie is centered on six strangers who are brought together to pull off the perfect jewel heist. But when police ambush the thieves during the heist, those who lived through the ensuing gunfight realize they have a traitor among their ranks. The rest of the film is com prised of both present action and flashbacks that depict how the dif ferent members of the group came to be involved in the robbery and their attempts to identify the rat. Interestingly, though, the robbery itself is never shown; it is only re ferred to in conversation between the surviving men. The most outstanding aspect of the film is the characters’ com plexity. Tarantino manages to peer into the psyches of each of the main characters, a feat that is aid ed by his talented cast: Harvey Keitel as the tough yet sympa thetic Mr. White, Tim Roth as the young and apprehensive Mr. Orange, Michael Madsen as the sadistic Mr. Blonde and Steve Buscemi as the businesslike Mr. Pink. Tarantino depicts all the characters as real people who have real conversations, with top ics such as music, women and waitress-tipping etiquette. This special edition includes nu merous features that were not in cluded in the movie’s 1997 DVD re lease. Both widescreen and fullscreen versions of the film are included, and each of the discs has its own unique extras. The features include behind-the-scenes footage of the making of “Reservoir Dogs” action figures, deleted scenes, and short documentaries on the ’92 Sundance Festival and other film makers in the film noir genre. The interview with Tarantino is definitely a must-see; the quirky writer/director explains his histo ry in filmmaking, his inspirations and motivations for the movie, and viewers’ reactions to the film. Roth’s and Keitel’s interviews are entertaining as well. Be warned, though: This movie is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart. But for those who can han dle the graphic images, this special edition DVD offers a ton in a small package. It looks as though the only decision left is which cover to buy. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com