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1_Q THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, October 22, 2003 £ contact us. TTTT MTY Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I I I J I If I I / you get to the end of your rope, E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com —® m M—® ■ » tie a knot and hang on.” PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Owen Beverly released his second CD, “The Drunk Lover,” this week. Touring in support of his latest effort, Beverly will play In front of Columbla-area music fans Thursday evening at Banana Joe's. His innovative sound evidences many influences, from classic Beatles tunes to the experimental Radiohead. Charleston’s Owen Beverly shatters writer’s block, steps into spotlight BY MORGAN FORD THEOAMECOOK Owen Beverly, a breakthrough artist from Charleston, has the po tential to rock your world. The new songs on Beverly’s “The Drunk Lover” EP are innovative and original; they take almost a completely different sonic path than his four-song demo, which he considers to be his first stab in the dark. The CD contains an eclectic collection of songs about love and personal growth. Beverly has finally overcome a yearlong writer’s block that can mostly be explained by a lack of time — he was too busy to sit down and focus on writing while trying to finish up his bachelor’s degree in music at the College of Charleston. This break in writing did give Beverly some time to ma ture in his sound. Considering how well his songs have turned out, it’s almost impossible to think that he ever had song-craft ing troubles. Beverly started writing music in high school. He wrote some musicals, but he then focused on individual songs. He was truly in troduced to music when he began piano lessons, even though most of his piano skills were self taught. He also learned to play guitar. Beverly and his drummer Benji Lee have been playing to gether for about a year and half now. Owen feels that they have built a “rock-solid musical rela tionship,” even though other members of the band have come and gone. The 21-year-old might just be on his way to national fame. Beverly’s influences lie in many places. The one group that really shaped his love for music was The Beatles, but of the more current musicians, his “THE DRUNK LOVER” Owen Beverly ★★★★ out of titrir&i} Owen Beverly released his new EP Tuesday. The record marks Owen’s second experi ence in the studio, even though he would call it his first real in volvement with the process. The EP starts off with a great guitar riff on the title track, “The Drunk Lover,” which really sets the tone for the rest of the work. The song’s catchy feel and fresh rock sound could set anyone in motion. The tune leads into a racing track that sends the sens es flying with its vivid lyrics. The ballad “For Mia” brings out more of Beverly’s sensitive side. It brings to mind the stereo typical idea of a young boy who has just fallen in love for the first time through such lyrics as, “I’m outside your window/ Oh I’m aiming at your heart with a shot in the dark/ Holding back I love you/ Running in circles through the neighbor’s yard.” It is amazing how much sound and talent can already come out of such a small man with such little experience in the music business. “Levenway” exudes a harder edged feel than the more melod ic sounds of the second and third tracks. A break in the song soft ens the sound with some engag ing vocal harmonies. The EP then leads into a slower love song that can only be thought of as a rejuvenated love ballad. "Inside” captures listeners with its emotive ex pressions. Beverly could seduce any girl by singing, “She’s tak ing me back where everything is beautiful.” sound is closer to Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom Beverly highly re spects as songwriters. Beverly will be touring this fall as the opening act for Jump, Little Children and is really looking for ward to playing with the group. The first show of the tour will take place at Banana Joe’s Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $8. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Aparo brings acoustic rock to Columbia, releases new CD BY MEG MOORE THE (iAMECOCK He provided background vo cals for the Matchbox Twenty track “Stop” on its second al bum; his song “Cry” was turned into a smash hit by Faith Hill. Although he has collaborated with such pop radio powerhous es, Angie Aparo remains the epitome of the guitar-toting singer-songwriter. Tomorrow night at Jammin’ Java, Aparo will reprise the role of coffee house songsmith in support of his new release, “For Stars and Moon,” his first original, full length CD since 2000’s “The American.” Aparo’s Atlanta-based atten tion-grabbing major-label debut “The American” paired the singer with Matt Serletic, pro ducer for Collective Soul, Edwin McCain and Matchbox Twenty. Although the release earned Aparo some well-deserved expo sure, it marked neither the be ginning — nor the end — of Aparo’s ever-evolving career as a singer-songwriter. According to his Web site, Aparo embarked on his solo ca reer in 1996, after stints with var ious regional bands. He quickly won a following along the East Coast, through both his live shows and the release of his full length independent debut “Out of Everywhere.” The album cap tured the stripped down aesthet ic of Aparo’s lyrically strong style. PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Based in Atlanta, singer-songwriter Angie Aparo honed his acoustic guitar-based sound playing around the Southeast. Aparo met Serletic in 1997 — a meeting that would change the course of both Aparo’s career and his music. Aparo signed with Melisma Records, an inde pendent Atlanta-based label, and began work on “The American.” The resulting album combined Aparo’s previously sparse sound with Serletic’s penchant for pro duction effects and orchestra tion. Aparo has said that he “wanted to hear everything, the orchestra, 1,000 guitars and sometimes one lonely voice” on the intricately instrumented record. Evidencing Aparo’s com mitment to capturing personal experience, the tracks remained as lyrically sound as they were sonically expansive, solidifying Aparo’s place as an adept song writer. After releasing an album of mostly cover songs in the spring of 2002, Aparo’s “For Stars and Moon” marks a return to his acoustic-based roots. Self-penned ♦ APARO, SEE PAGE 11 CD REVIEW Side project creates psychedelic aura “WELLWATER CONSPIRACY” Wellwater Conspiracy ★★★ out of BY CHARLES TOMLINSON THE GAMECOCK It seems that for every band, at least one member has a side project. When a one of these pro jects is worth listening to, how ever, it’s a reason for amazement. Instead of pressing the record button and putting down unlistenable 10-minute guitar jams, Wellwater Conspiracy opts for actual songs that recall the off-kilter pop sensibilities of the 1960s. And appropriately, the band took its name from an urban legend about someone putting LSD in Minnesota’s drinking water. A collaboration between Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and original Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain, Well water Conspiracy has been per forming for six yejirs and has turned its side project into some thing the average music fan can appreciate. On the band’s new, self-titled album, the Walk abouts’ Grant Eckerd also makes a major contribution by playing keyboards. Cameron handles drumming and vocals on the album, and he proves to be a tuneful singer. Although his voice can be a bit bland, he enunciates well for a rock singer and has an often soulful style. “Wimple Witch,” the melodi ous first song on the band’s new album, is a fun start to a surpris ingly accessible bunch of songs. “Galaxy 265” follows with its cre ative, staggering rhythms and a warped guitar lilt that smacks of Primus. “Sea Miner,” the strongest song on the album, sets the stage for gorgeous psychedelia with gleaming electric piano and wa tery-sounding drums. A catchy organ riff leads “Crow Revolt” into the song’s verses, on which Cameron’s vocals resemble those of Spacehog front man Royston Langdon. The album also includes a cov er of “Something in the Air,” a trippy song by ’60s act Thunderclap Newman. Wellwater Conspiracy also engages technology on the new album. Cameron layers drum machine rhythms under the ♦WELLWATER, SEE PAGE’f 1 Indiana Jones arrives on DVD ’ BY DAVID GERMAIN THE ASSOCIATED I’HESS LOS ANGELES - Trust them: The makers of the “Indiana Jones” flicks were not about to let fans down with the long-awaited DVD release. A close second to the original “Star Wars” trilogy on DVD lovers’ wish list, “The Adventures of Indiana Jones” debuts Tuesday in a four-disc boxed set that in ujLUUcb uue ui uic inusi uumpie hensive making-of documentaries ever. Hard-core fans who think they know it all about cinema’s best-| known archaeologist are in for a surprise, promises Jim Ward, vice president of marketing for Lucasfilm, “Indiana Jones” exec utive producer George Lucas’ out fit. “It’s very important for us to come to the table with something fresh and new,” Ward said. “We up at Lucasfilm went on our own archaeological dig, if you will.” The team unearthed a huge range of behind-the-scenes footage for 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and 1989’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Among the material: Footage of star Harrison Ford practicing with Indy’s whip; Lucas bouncing along the suspension* br idge built for “Temple of Doom” * and director Steven Spielberg pleading for more snakes in the “Raiders” tomb scene. The two-hour documentary mixes that footage with new in terviews of Spielberg, Ford, Lucas, female co-stars Karen Allen, Kate v^apauaw aim rvnauu uuuuy anu Sean Connery, who played Indy’s father in “Last Crusade.” Interviews also feature other cast members and technical crew that created the stunts, sets and effects. Lucas notes he dreamed up the idea that would become “Indiana Jones” in the 1970s but set it aside to do “Star Wars.” The dashing ar chaeologist resurfaced when Lucas mentioned it to Spielbergs on a Hawaii vacation the weekend “Star Wars” opened. The two were quickly off and running with their modem take on old Hollywood adventure seri als, with a part-academic, part rogue hero whose tag line was the cocky, “Trust me.” They viewed it as screwball comedy master Preston Sturges meets “Casablanca” director Michael Curtiz. Spielberg notes that Indy was conceived as a flawed hero who owed as much to ♦ INDIANA JONES, SEE PAGE 11 1 l TOP 10 < i These were the most requested songs on USC’s student radio station from Oct. 12-19. I t 1. “TRANSATLANnCISM” Death Cab for Cutie 2. “SO SAYS I" Shins 3. “DRESSY BESSY” Dressy Bessy 4. “LITTLE WORLDS” Bela Reck and the Flecktones 9. “BEFORE EVERYTHING AND AFTER” _ MXPX 6. “TEAM BOO” Mates of State 7. “SEVEN’S TRAVELS” _Atmosphere 8. “THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD” Lawrence Arms 9. “OLD HANDS” Yonder Mountain String Band 10. “SHOW ME YOUR TEARS" Fra nk Black and the Catholics