The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 17, 2003, Page 8, Image 8
at New Brookland Tavern
..
UNWfeD SAILOR, SINGING
MECHANIC, COURAGE RILEY,
AND LAMA SABACHTHANI
New Brookland Tavern
out of ☆☆☆☆☆
BY COREY GARRIOTT AND
QUINN STEINBRECHER
j THE GAMECOCK
Shows at the New Brookland
Tavern aren’t normally so late; the
Friday early show slated for 6 p.m.
began an hour off time. The
Christian emo kids who showed
up stuck around for one reason —
well, two. They’re nice Christian
kids first of all, and atmospheric
Christian acoustic act Unwed
Sailor, a band with former Pedro
the Lion band members, was per
forming
Members — plural — is the key
thing because Pedro the Lion front
man — currently the only man
David Bazan finally settled the
band’s turbulent lineup by oust
ing everyone else. Pedro has gbt
ten pretty Dig Decause oi its gen
erally unassuming lyrics, atypical
The tracks on the album are
varied, and showcase Broussard’s
ability to play both rock and a
more soulful style of R&B. Though
his ability to embody a wide vari
ety of musical styles may serve
him well financially, some of
Broussard’s genre crossing seems
a bit contrived. His ventures into
alternative rock seem indistin
guishable from countless other ra
dio cuts from countless othei
bands. Broussard seems most nat
ural on the album when he is play
ing R&B. He’s got a great voice for
soul, and his vocal abilities are
well supported by a talented band.
His lack of lyrical originality
probably stems from the fact that
Broussard is only 20 years old.
One mark in Broussard’s favor
is that he feels most comfortable
playing in front of a crowd.
“I think I put my best foot for
ward live,” said Broussard.
So we have a pop musician who
can actually play an instrument
and enjoys live performances.
Broussard may just be a bona-fide
star in the making.
\
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such as Chick Corea and Wes
Montgomery to Otis Redding and
Marvin Gaye.
“As far as singer-songwriters
go, my main influence is Marvin
Sexton. I somehow fit all that crap
together into one package,”
Broussard said.
“Momentary Setback” has the
kind of pop sensibility that should
make the album easily digestible
for record-company executives.
With effective promotion and
marketing, a few top 10 hits could
easily be squeezed out of the
record.
Broussard
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
“If it were up to me, I would re
lease two or three singles at one
time to different formats,”
Broussard said. “I definitely think
that I have the power to cross gen
res.”
Broussard’s musical ability is
an inheritance of sorts. Both his
father and grandfather were mu
sicians. His father, Ted
Broussard, played guitar for the
New Orleans R&B group the
Boogie Kings.
“My dad is by far my favorite
guitar player,” Broussard said.
“He’s just an amazing and talent
ed guy. I don’t really consider my
self a guitar player, I consider my
self more of a vocalist. I was al
ways more into vocals than gui
tar growing up.”
Broussard says his earliest in
fluences came from a variety of
sources ranging from jazz acts
swers from younger women.
Angelica, the speaker in
“Because He Liked To Look at
It,” says: “Our self-hatred is only
the internalized repression and
hatred of the patriarchal culture.
... If we’d grown up in a culture
where we were taught fat thighs
were beautiful, we’d all be
pounding down milk shakes and
Krispy Kremes, lying on our
backs, spending our days thigh
expanding. But we didn’t grow
up in that culture.” She relates
these feelings to how she feels
about her vagina.
A change from the mono
logues was a musical testimony
by Michael Scott, called “Bitch.”
Her beautiful voice was accom
panied only by her own acoustic
guitar. All in all, the USC
Women’s Association gave a
touching performance from
which the audience walked
away empowered and informed.
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Monologues
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
short and long-term effects.
The prying questions of Eve
Ensler as she interviewed vari
ous women brought embar
rassed but long-winded answers
from older women after much
prodding and honest, eager an
PHOTOS BY COREY GARRIOTT/THE GAMECOCK
Above, Daniel Smith, right, the sole member of the Singing Mechanic,
entertains audiences at new Brookland Tavern. Right, David Adedokun,
lead singer of Courage Riley, performs.
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?amecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
OUU11UO me
same: a
b three
note
Pi
ano
trill
repeated
alongside
various
I keys on
I the gui
I tar
ly complemented Nicholas Tse’s
complex guitar lines. The Singing
Mechanic accompanied on key
boards, filling in the empty spaces
with sampled sounds.
Courage Riley and the Singing
Mechanic were preceded by drone
rockers Lama Sabachthani, which
means “Why hast thou forsaken
me?” in Aramaic. Jesus said thir
before he died on the cross, ac
cording to Matthew 27:46.
A small local group,
Sabachthani was unfortunately
more drone than rock. They have
pretty, hard-to-under
stand vocals like
R.E.M., but each song
He sings about automobiles.
“This one’s about financing a
brand new truck,” he said. Before
another: “This is the car talking;
it’s not me. It’s not my fault.” His
songs are gratifying because
they’re exactly the catharsis you’d
, hope for between the harder
Courage Riley and the complex
Unwed Sailor.
Main act Unwed Sailor started
in 1998 when Jonathan Ford of
Roadside Movement and Pedro
the Lion fame pulled together
some friends and coined Unwed
Sailor. Except for guitarist
Nicholas Tse, members have
come and gone — including
Bazan of Pedro the Lion on
drums.
Although there might be in
stability in its lineup, you would
have never known while watch
ing the band on
Friday night.
Unwed Sailor is
an instrumental
band but, unlike
the others, doesn’t .
tend songs any longer than ^
they need to be. There are no 10
minute build-ups that drone on
long after the listener has lost in
terest. Rather, every sound was
pieced together with careful at
tention, allowing no unnecessary
excess.
The music ascended to beauti
ful crescendos and kept the lis
tener interested even without the
help of any vocals. Bassist
Jonathan Ford’s playing perfect
at tne audience wnue ne plays,
maybe looking for an honest lis
tener. They sound like a strange
electronic holiness, taking notes
on Tinker’s Punishment’s driving
rock, but inverting its pessimism.
Riley sprawls from self-doubt and
consumerism and corruption, but
seems stronger for the ride.
After Riley, mirthful pianist
Daniel Smith played his one-man
act, the Singing Mechanic. Those
who enjoyed the Billy Joel con
cert, also Friday, would be wise to
pick up one of his albums, because
Smith is Joel crossed with diesel.
It’s true that bands
such as Pedro the
Lion are not writing
for the general audi
ence; and that’s exact
ly the point. Columbia
band Courage Riley
has evolved from
Christian rock’s sepa
ratist origins.
Courage Riley
anesthetizes our pe
culiar modem depres
sion — lead singer
David Adedokun can
go as high as Thom
Yorke, but without
the self-pity. You can
hear him yell even
when he withdraws
from the mike.
The band seems to
be in recovery even
while on stage.
Drummer Caleb
Weathersby stares out
in me cnrisuan tock mainstream.
In fact, Christian rock might fi
nally have become not only lis
tenable, but preferable.
In the past, Christian rock
lyrics have been too intense and
frankly oppressive: “It seems too
easy to call You Savior/ not close
enough to call You God,” Dan
Haseltine sings on Jars of Clay’s
self-titled 1995 album. The same
goes for Caedmon’s Call: “I will
rise up/ and bow down/ and lay
my crown/ at His wounded feet,”
the band sings in its pioneer song,
“There’s a Stirring.”
Summer 2003
financial Aid
Applications
available on-line
www. sc. edu /fjnaiicialaid
Application Deadline:
April 1,2003 at 5:00PM
• J jB fe \ ^
Office of Student Financial
Aid & Scholarships
1714 Col lege Street
Tickers go on sale Thursday March 3rd
FREE for students faculty and staff with a valid ID
$5 for Public
Pick-up tickets at the Information Desk in theRHIobbu
| First-come, F8rst-served| "HSM
sms ham Ed
of this visionary genius. I
Tuesday, March 18th
' • <
Special guest speaker
RUDY MANCKE
formerly of SCETV NATURESCENE now
a USC professor, fie will be speaking on
Finding GOD in Nature.
7:37 pm 3 • 18 • Rutledge Chapel
For more information contact
Jane Poster, Campus Minister at 799-3854
E-mail: bcmusc@bellsouth.net
metrobapti$t.org/bcm