The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 29, 2004, Page 10, Image 10
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