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THEY SAID IT| “Politics is too serious a matter to be Page 10 le^to Po|rt'c'ans-’’ Wednesday, September 29, 2004 PRESIDENT0CfHfS““1^ MAKETHEVOTECOUNT Partisan politics aside, Young Democrats and College Republicans agree on the importance of going to the polls By MARIA CHARLES l THE GAMECOCK With a little more than a month until the Nov. 2 election and the presidential debates beginning Thursday at the University of Miami, the College Republicans and Young Democrats are out in force, making sure their messages are heard. While both groups support different candidates, they share the belief that voting is more than just choosing a name; it is exercising an essential and fundamental American right. The Young Democrats are preparing for a busy month, starting off with two “debate watch parties,” one for the presidential debate on Thursday and one Tuesday for the vice presidential debate. Both will be held at Delaney's in Five Points and all are welcome to attend, said second-year political science and finance student and Young Democrats’ President Katie Day. The parties are meant to build enthusiasm for the Democratic candidates and their policies. Members of the state Democratic Party and state Young Democrats will attend. The College Republicans are not holding any viewing parties, but will probably A gather at a members house to view the ^ debates, fourth-year political science H student and co-chairman of the College ^ Republicans Franklin Buchanan said. The College Republicans are focusing more on providing grassroots volunteer work. Buchanan said he talks to U.S. Senate candidate Jim DeMint’s campaign three to four times a day. “We want to get as many of us out there as we can,” Buchanan said. Whether it is stuffing envelopes or getting the word out, the College Republicans say they are ready. “It was never this active before,” Buchanan said. He believes the candidates are the reason for such real. “George Bush and Jim DeMint excite people,” Buchanan said. Day said she has noticed eagerness to help among the Young Democrats as well. “We’ve added 200 members in the past month. This year we’ve done a better job of getting out there. We’ll break hopefully 300 members soon," Day said. Both groups say they hope to increase voter turnout. Day said that as a demographic, the 18-24 age group typically lags at the polls. “We want people to vote, period. We want more political activism on campus. We want people to be more connected to their government,” she said. Buchanan agreed, saying voting is a right, and “If you don’t vote, you don’t matter.” Buchanan and Day say college students should pay attention to the war on terror and foreign policy as issues. Monetary issues take precedence, as well. “Everything the government does influences college students. Voting will influence Pell Grants and tuition,” Day said. Buchanan points to DeMint’s tax plan as an idea that will have positive effects. While Day isn’t so sure, both agree the government’s allocation of money is an issue to take into account when voting. The hot button issues only add to the excitement surrounding this year’s race stemming from the controversial 2000 election. “After 2000, people finally realized their vote does count,” Buchanan said. Day points to the changing times as a cause for the excitement encompassing the campaigns. “In no other election have we had Sept. 11 behind us. The war going on in Iraq and the involvement in a war in Afghanistan are three major events on top of regular issues this year,” Day said. Buchanan said he is confident Bush will win “in a landslide this year." But proving him right or wrong depends on voters’ involvement. For the still undecided voters, there will be an open forum to discuss where different parties stand on different issues, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Gambrell room 250. The College Republicans and Young Democrats are discussing debating one another as well, Day said. The College Republicans meet every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Gambrell room 250. Anyone interested in joining can visit uscrepublicans.com or sccolleeereDublicans.orv for more information. The Young Democrats hold meetings every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. A Web I site is under construction, but ^ interested students can e-mail V Day at kday963@aol.com with f YD USC in the subject line. By encouraging informed f voting, the College Republicans and Young Democrats seek to increase student awareness and involvement in the issues and policies that effect this state and the nation. “Vote on how you feel, so your voice is heard,” Day said. Battle of the Bands to storm USC ■ CP to sponsor the fifth annual local band competition tonight By JENNI DILLARD , THE GAMECOCK Sunday afternoon the members of Carolina Productions’ concert commission huddled around the boombox during their weekly meeting to hear songs from the 11 bands that entered this year’s Batde of the Bands competition. The list had to be narrowed down to six for tonight’s final competition in the Russell House Ballroom. This is the fifth Batde of the Bands competition sponsored by Carolina Productions. The show is an opportunity for students to showcase their talents to peers at school. “We’ve been trying to help out the local music scene for awhile because it’s hard for local guys to get their music out, especially the college crowd,” said Carolina Productions concert commissioner Justin Kuhns, a fourth year advertising student. After hearing the songs and ranking each band, the members of CP chose Guitar Show; The Elements; Saintmaybe; If Not, Winter; Build a Bridge; and The Silver Screen. “This year we’re going to have multiple genres: a few hardcore acts, a rap act and punk acts,” Kuhns said. “It’s going to be a really diverse show.” Each band will play two to three original songs. There are no cover songs allowed. Three judges have been lined up for the competition: Charles Wilkie, David Britt and James Willingham. Wilkie and Britt book bands for local venues, and Willingham is a USC alumnus and former member of Carolina Productions. Among this year’s finalists is hip-hop grimp The Elements, which has been together for two years. “Everybody in our group has a different element, and when we come together it’s like a force that can’t be stopped in hip-hop,” group member Mike Sampson said. “I’m looking for a lot of support,” he said of the upcoming show. “If there’s a lot of people there, that will be great. When the crowd gets into it, that helps us perform better.” The band Guitar Show formed in 2001 and just finished recording its first full-length studio album, “The Ghosts of Our Childhood.” Guitarist Daniel Machado said music is “about enjoying the creative process and in turn hopefully having other people enjoy what you’ve created. Performing the product of that process is always a rush and the mutual enjoyment between the players and listeners is a wonderful thing.” Build a Bridge was formed over a year ago and is composed of five guys who just “really love music,” as they said on their profile at myspace.com. If Not, Winter is this year’s “youngest band,” formed during the summer, but its members are not new to the music scene. Guitarist Josh Zurawski described the group’s music as “in your face emo-rock,” and they have been compared to bands Story of the Year and Finch. “We basically wanted to do the Battle of the Bands to gain exposure on USC’s campus,” guitarist Andrew Connor said. “Because sometimes it’s hard to get college students with no mopey to come to a show they have to pay for. Something like this allows students to come get a taste of our music for free at a familiar location, and maybe they will come to a show later down the road.” The Silver Screen claims their eclectic sound is heavily influenced by many genres. “Each member of the band brings a different musical influence to create something the band really loves playing and others will enjoy listening,” they said on their Web site. Rounding out the top six is Saintmaybe, a group of four friends who have been immersed in the Columbia music scene for several years. They recorded a long-awaited EP this summer called “Hands Outstretched.” The Battle of the Bands takes over the Russell House Ballroom this evening. Doors open at 7 p.m. Comments oh this story? E-mail gamecockfeatiires@gwm.sc. edit PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK TOP: Guitar Show. BOTTOM: If Not, Winter. These bands, along with The Elements, Saintmaybe, Build a Bridge and The Silver Screen, will play in the CP Battle of the Bands tonight. . . . . ' . CD REVIEW Joseph looks Within ’ on classical piano release “WITHIN” William Joseph ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK William Smith might just be the Josh Groban of classical piano. He’s young, good looking and, oh yeah, the guy can play. Whereas Groban reintroduced pop music listening America to more artful vocal tunes, Joseph’s debut, “Within,” aims to make piano lessons cool again. Working with producer David Foster, Joseph has assembled a collection of often dramatic tracks that highlight his technical mastery. The quick runs he sends dancing across supporting strings during the album’s hist (and title) track show from the get-go that Joseph has come to play. Bolstered by soaring orchestral arrangements and crashing percussion, Joseph’s finger work becomes much more than the mere tinkling of ivories. Most of the tunes are theatrical in nature, sounding ready-made for an epic film score as they crescendo and fall away. The grandeur of “Butterflies and Hurricanes” sounds like something out of Phantom of the Opera; tracks such as “Stella’s Theme” simultaneously convey beauty and sadness, turning instruments into vehicles of emotion. Although the orchestral backing adds an exciting amount of drama to Joseph’s playing, songs such as “Ave Maria” and “Grace” stand out for their lack,of fanfare. Sparse yet eloquently played, Joseph’s rendition of Bach’s “Ave Maria” proves as emotive as his more sensational offerings. Similarly, the closing track “Grace” is a simple, solo piano piece that paints the same bittersweet portrait that other tracks require a string section to convey. The two surprises on “Within” are Joseph’s covers of popular tracks — “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin and He may just have a future beyond the classical music rack. Kansas’, “Dust in the Wind.” The Led Zeppelin tune proves to be a present surprise. The percussive, driving orchestral track highlights Joseph’s piano version of the melody, resulting in something far more epic than even a storied rock band can produce. However, Joseph’s version of “Dust in the Wind” isn’t as savory. The addition of vocals seems grossly out of place on an otherwise completely instrumental album. The piano and backing instrumentation are able to carry every other song — it seems almost an insult to the players that the producer decided meaning needed to be verbally spelled out on “Dust in the Wind.” Taking a detour from the expected, William Joseph’s “Within” attempts to bring a little culture back into pop music. If like Groban he can land a few crucial TV appearances and become a hit with radio-listening moms, he may just have a future beyond the classical music rack. Comments on this stoiy? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwmsc.edu