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It J~~i ¥7 THEY SAID IT t /1 I “Cause tomorrow’s just another day p ^ t / I I And I don’t believe in time” Monday, November 1,2004 i'-Lli V hootie and the butwish rnuiui uuunitai urrni uttiviruo Left: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry greets supporters at a rally in Orlando, Fla., last Friday. Right: President George W. Bush campaigns in Westlake, Ohio, on Thursday. After months of campaigning, debating and speculating, it's finally time to hit the polls. Students weigh in on why they'll be casting a vote. ByJENNI DILLARD THE GAMECOCK As Election Day approaches, USC students have been making voting plans. The options for college students are either go home to vote or vote by absentee ballot. “I was afraid I’d lose my absentee ballot,” said first-year electronic journalism student Allison Stoughton, who plans to drive home to Florence Tuesday. “Plus, we have totally awesome new electronic voting machines.” In order to vote absentee, students had to request their ballot weeks or even months in advance so it would have time to get through the mail. Voting on Tuesday requires standing in line at the polls. Both options have their pros and cons. As demonstrations by different political groups at USC have shown, students feel strongly about the voting issue. Supporters have also been making statements with buttons, T-shirts, book bags and through other forms of expression such as art and writing. “Voting is a privilege, not a right,” Stoughton said. “I think it’s pretty important to use the privileges that are given to us.” For many students it’s important that their peers vote also. “I have encouraged everyone I know to vote,” said Blake Thompson, a third year economics major. “The people we vote for are the ones that are going to decide our future,” said Kristina Schlueter, a second-year accounting major. “Everything that happens in this presidential term is going to affect us the most so we should have some say.” This year’s election has spurred more political debate than in the past, partly due to issues such as the war and the memory of the voting problems that happened in the 2000 election. Getting more of the i younger generation to vote has been an ongoing project in recent years. “It is important for our age group to “It is important for our age group to vote because the policies of today will have a greater effect on the youth for the rest of our lives.” BLAKE THOMPSON THIRD-YEAR ECONOMICS STUDENT vote because the policies of today will have a greater affect on the youth for the rest of our lives,” Thompson said. “It seems that with this particular election, college kids are becoming more politically aware.” After all the hype that this election year has brought, many students are ready for the mayhem to end. “I’ll be glad when it’s over because I’ll stop hearing everyone bash each other on television,” Stoughton said. However, many agree it’s made students aware of important issues that they perhaps wouldn’t have known about otherwise. “Around election time the issues are out there and when there isn’t an election no one really knows what’s going on politically,” Schlueter said. “It’s a lot harder to follow.” Although the campaign blitz will be over, the real work for those elected lies ahead. “I will be happy when the television ads are over,” Thompson said. “However, there is still much work to be done before America will be where it was four years ago, no matter which candidate wins.” Among all the debates over who will win the election and questions over the possibilty of a tie, students are getting involved more than they ever have. Whether voting absentee or traveling home, USC students are making the choice to exercise their choice. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatnres@gwm.sc. edu Blues and jazz acts jam for fund-raiser PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Blues singer Nappy “Night Time is the Right Time” Brown will entertain the crowd at the South Carolina Celebration of Blues and Jazz. By MORIAH EMERALD McCarthy THE GAMECOCK Get ready to shimmy and swing. Friday evening, the South Carolina Celebration of Blues and Jazz, presented by Michelin, will get things hoppin’ at the South Carolina State Museum. The annual museum fund-raiser, now in its 15th consecutive year, will set the night on fire with the tunes of both new and returning artists. Filling the chairs and lining the staircases, celebration-goers will be in for an evening of dancing, jamming, food and fun. Ten musical revues from around the state will pack the exhibit halls with the swelling sound of big bands and crooning torch singers. The event will feature the tunes of The Great Band Society, led by Cleve Edwards, who has been playing in Columbia nightclubs since he was 13, the Tony Torre Big Band and the singers of Straight Up. Repeat attendees will be thrilled by two new artists — Roland Haynes and the Lee Barbour Trio. Barbour, a jazz guitarist, teaches at College of Charleston. In the realm of blues, the crowd will indulge in the rich vocals of Nappy “Night Time is the Right Time” Brown. A seasoned performer and recording artist, Brown was first influenced by blues and gospel in his hometown of Charlotte. The audience should be in for a real show — Brown is well known for his stage antics. Junk Joint Johnny, a blues harp virtuoso, and B.J. Caughman and the Blues Creations Band will spice up the evening’s lineup, while blues singer Caesar will thrill audiences with his mood-lifting pieces as he did during his debut at last year’s Blues and Jazz Celebration. Joining the celebration will be the “Bishopville Blues Doctor,” the Midlands’ own Drink Small. The beat of the Blues Doctor’s stirring blend of blues and classic rock-n-roll is sure to get feet tapping. No celebration would be complete without a delectable lineup of food and . drink for purchase. Souvenir mugs will also be available. Advance tickets are $20 and available through the mail (SC Museum Foundation, P.O. Box 111442, Columbia SC 29211), by phone at 898 4935 or at the State Museum at 301 Gervais St. Tickets at the door will be $25, and friends of museum will be able to purchase tickets for $23. The media sponsor for this event is KISS-FM. Along with Michelin, Midlands Printing, Kahn Development and Carolina Public Relations are generously supporting the fund raiser. For more information contact Liza Walsh at the State Museum at 898 4935. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu CONCERT REVIEW Loyal fans welcome home local rockers HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH with EDWIN MCCAIN ★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By MARJORIE RIDDLE THE GAMECOCK I he boys are back in town. Or at least they were Friday night. Young and old alike made up an exuberant crowd of about 4,500 as Hootie and the Blowfish came back to where they began for the first time in three years. Fans agreed with the band’s sentiment — it’s good to have them home. Hootie and the Blowfish nave been called many things since their smash year in 1995, many less than flattering. But critics of the band were not in attendance for Friday’s Homegrown concert at Capital City Stadium. Opening act and Greenville native Edwin McCain showed why he doesn’t need to open for anyone anymore. He sounded fresh and enthusiastic on his hits “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask for More,” and rocked the crowd with his cover of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May.” Hootie then initiated their homecoming with the lively “Little Brother” from their self-titled album. Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Jim “Soni” Sonefeld and Dean Felber expressed their nostalgia as former Gamecocks and played like it was 1989, with the energy and heart oT a band just starting out in the frat and bar scene. Rucker commented numerous times on his college days at USC, suggesting the “Let Her Cry” line, “She sits alone by a lamppost,” was inspired by Five Points. Mark Bryan repeatedly conveyed his hope that the Gamecocks would “kick Tennessee’s ass” on Saturday and led chants of “Game” and “Cocks.” The band also introduced new songs to appear on their next album, including the soulful “Autumn Jo.” Hootie’s hits from “Cracked Rear View” remained the evening’s most popular as the audience sang along to practically every word. Along with delivering a hit-filled night of music. South Carolina’s good ol’ boys of rock ‘n’ roll exploited their celebrity for a good cause. Hootie and the Blowfish used the concert as an opportunity to aid South Carolina schools, asking each attendee to donate school supplies. Taking the stage, the band declared the drive a success, having collected two busloads of supplies. After saying their first goodbye, Hootie and the Blowfish returned to perform an encore with McCain, joining the singer/songwriter on his bittersweet “Solitude.” The audience lingered, not wanting to say goodnight, even after several encore songs and almost four awesome hours of music. The night officially ended with a bang, literally, as fireworks lit up the Columbia sky. _3_ Comments on this story? 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