Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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/ - , _ ■ PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK The Used’s lead singer Bert McCracken, center, reaches out to the crowd during the band’s performance last night. THE USED Russell House Ballroom out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY DENNIS MING NICHOLS THE GAMECOCK The Russell House hardly seems like the venue for mosh pits and crowd-surfing, but last night, Carolina Productions introduced The Used to the USC campus. Bert McCracken, The Used front man and Kelly Osbourne’s boyfriend, and his droogs destroyed the Russell House Ballroom with verbal assaults, hardcore punk and soft-core nudity. “The sign on the door says ‘no nudity or profanity.’ F—k that! Who wants to see my ass?” said McCracken, as he dropped his pants. Although McCracken’s tele vised relationship with Kelly on MTV’s reality series “The Osbournes” might be a media ploy, The Used proved it can rock just as much as it can advertise. The band performed its radio hit “Buried Myself Alive,” as well as more aggressive and energetic album cuts. The music was satis factory, the performance superb, and the energy created by the band incredible. The most memorable moment was when a thong-clad man with “sexy bitch” scrawled across his chest rushed the stage and tried to hug McCracken and guitarist Quinn Allman. McCracken was more than happy to hug the half naked man; Allman had to be chased. Adding to the crowd energy was opening act S.T.U.N. This quartet embodies the roots of punk and grunge. Lead singer Christiane J. threw himself on the ground, jumped on wobbly ampli fiers and ended the set by destroy ing the band’s drum set. The tantrum was comparable to the early club shows of the Sex Pistols or Nirvana. During the group’s set, I even noticed a USC cop banging his head, with fisted bullhorns high in the air. Mike Ardaiolo, a sec ond-year media-arts student, said, “S.T.U.N. has that raw energy that most punk bands are lacking to day.” Other bands that performed were Denver progressive-hard core band Faux and power-pop band Coheed and Cambria. Faux performed energetically, while its long-haired members banged their heads. Unfortunately, the three-guitar as sault created an unintelligible sound, and the band’s impressive light show outdid its music. Coheed and Cambria was the most melodic band of the evening. The highlight was vocalist Claudio Sanchez, who sounds like a male Bjork. Although there were mosh pits, kids rushing the stage, flying wa ter bottles, industrial-weight - dodgeballs whizzing through the air and mass hysteria, nobody in the crowd erupted into violence. Carolina Productions did a great job of assembling big-name groups and a great time. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Conroy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 Weenies — to his futile struggle for affirmation from his father, readers are walked through both Conroy’s inner thoughts and his outward actions. The work candidly depicts the stresses of cadet life at The Citadel, but also captures the ex Leases Available for Summer • Premiere Location • Fully Furnished Apartments • Shuttle Service to Campus • Swimming Pool • Computer Lab • 1,2,3, and 4 Bedroom Apartments • Movie Rentals • Social Activities • Friendly Management Team • 24-Hour Maintence <1. ' w hilaration of success, the honor in stilled by being a team member, a classmate and a loyal friend. Certainly, some readers might be turned off by Conroy’s sports diction, but beneath the bounce passes and lay-ups lies a truly ex ceptional work. It is a sports memoir, but more importantly, it is a reflection on life and change. Conroy attributes many of the lessons he’s learned to basketball-related action; he ev idences that the passions we pur sue and the worlds in which we immerse ourselves ultimately al ter us in ways w could never imagine. Conroy’s tangible characters compel readers to root for Conroy and company in their personal struggles as well as their basket ball games. Readers meet callous characters such as Coach Mel “Don’t shoot, Conroy” Thompson, whom Conroy desperately tries to understand and respect. Conroy also writes candidly about his fa ther, the “Great Santini” — the ti tle character of a previous Conroy work — evidencing the lasting ef fects that his father’s abusive na ture impressed on him. Although laden with sports-ori ented scenes and scoreboard statistics, Conroy’s “My Losing Season” keeps a universal appeal — the rough-edged eloquence of his words turns the otherwise mundane into poetry. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com ‘Right Now Move ’ easy to like “RIGHT NOW MOVE” Charlie Hunter Quintet out of ☆☆☆☆☆ i BY JUSTIN BAJAN THE GAMECOCK Maybe you’ve heard of Charlie Hunter. He’s the guy who invented the eight-string guitar: a mammoth instrument that fuses the bass and electric guitar. Two years ago, he featured Norah Jones on his album “Songs from the Analog Underground” before she was winning Grammys and amazing music fans. And, oh yeah, he also recorded seven al bums for Blue Note Records, the biggest jazz label in the history of the genre. Hunter’s latest release, “Right Now Move,” on Ropeadope Records, is his 10th album, and the 35-year-old shows no signs of slow ing down. Instead of playing it safe and sticking with a formula, Hunter expands his band to a quintet, with John Ellis on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Derrek Phillips on drums, Curtis Fowlkes on trom bone and the omnipresent Gregoire Maret on the chromatic harmonica. Maret and his har monica becomes a staple on “Right Now Move,” harmonizing with the other instruments and even doing some extended solos. The whole album is very groove-oriented, with Hunter tak ing a back seat on most of the songs to his band mates. You’ll hear him blending in with a sub tie bass line and occasionally standing out with a solid guitar solo. The album takes you to the porches of the Bay Area on “Oakland,” a funky, slowed-down piece that includes the laughter and chatter of the quintet in the background. “Right Now Move” never really moves outside of the listener’s comfort zone, ostensibly soothing the listener’s ears rather than challenging the mind. And that’s OK; music was created for people to enjoy, and this album, just like a good concert, makes you feel good. Whether it’s Hispanic spiced tunes like “Changui” and “Mestre Tata;” or the soulful of ferings of “Try,” “Wade in the Water” and “Whoop-Ass”; Hunter makes the listener smile with mu sic that’s easy to enjoy, saving in tense instrumental complexity for later. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@Aotmail.com rday wnti*| T HE'D'OWNTOWN~'w<Ml Join us for breakfast and lunch this Saturday, enjoy live entertainment while shopping for local uce, fresh flowers, fine art and handmade crafts. Every Saturday, through May 3, Hampton Street is transformed into an open-air market between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m ^ \P illOVlA Cmr Center J*\ Partnership,inc FoMrnore information, call 803.233.0620. .jm _ m\