The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 12, 2004, Page 5, Image 5
THEY SAID IT
“If I had just one tear runnin’ down your
cheek / maybe I could cope, maybe I'd
_ • get some sleep."
•Page 5 ANGIE APARO
Friday, November 12, 2004 SINGER/SONGWRITER
Winter calls for classic
looks - avoid holiday ties
Rudolph has no place in
the family portrait, stick
to sweaters, suits
It’s finally getting colder in
Columbia, and I, for one, can’t stand it.
But since forecasters are saying this
could be a record cold winter, then I
guess we’ll just have to get used to
bundling up.
With the
barrage of sales
that are about to
hit us, it’s kind
of a no-brainer
that you need to
get out there and
stock up on
some long-sleeve
KEVIN and wool-knit
FELLNER
Personally, 1
FOURTH-YEAR find winter
ENGLISH , . ,
STUDENT clothes to be a
bore. I usually
rlnn’r .
anything different except an all-purpose
fl'icket that will perform well even in
cold rain. Sporty designers like
Columbia make affordable fleece-lined
windbreakers that will keep your
extremities frost-bite free, even though
such jackets are inevitably plastered with
designer logos.
As for the rest of your wardrobe,
brands that market to teens and young
adults always offer great holiday deals on
plain, single-colored, cable knit sweaters
and other styles that look acceptable
when repeated in the winter. Gap and
Old Navy will mark down cotton and
wool sweaters to under $20 on major
sale days. Eddie Bauer and J. Crew are
consistently reliable brands that usually
offer heavy-duty designs. Their sweaters
hold up best under extended exposure
to cold weather, and they don’t
_
overcharge as much as Ralph, Perry and
Giorgio for a plain style with a fancy
logo.
There’s also the question to consider
of where you’ll be needing to look nice
this winter — the office Christmas
party, church, the family portrait, those
crucial moments underneath the
mistletoe. You’ll need to be prepared for
all of them, even though the latter of
those events may involve you getting
tipsy on eggnog and the lingering
question of whether or not you had an
uncomfortably close moment with your
second-cousin, Sue.
For all holiday occasions I
recommend forgetting the red, fuzzy
Rudolph sweater and going with a
classic suit. Since you want to appear as
a man of high moral character in
church and the family portrait, you
might want to try the more respectful
look of a double-breasted cut or a
European cut with faded pinstripes.
Dark colors work especially well for
wmici events uic sun i.mi t nut <ts
long and look more proper at holiday
gatherings. It’s true that the parties in
December are the most joyous and
most plentiful — That’s whiy we gain so
much weight.
Go with the red tie and not the
green. I know the season calls for both,
but green will do nothing but make
people equate your face with roughly
the same tint, causing them to ask if
you’ve had too much eggnog.
Avoid also the kitsch that cheap
designers will try to feed you by using
the excuse that it’s Christmas. A red tie
with bells or wreaths might be
acceptable once a year, but Santa
playing golf and wearing sunglasses just
tells people that you have no self
respect. If your tie plays Christmas
carols, don’t you dare write to me and
ask me why you’re always alone during
the holidays.
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
The Borenya West African Drum and Dance troupe will hold a drum
and dance workshop at the Blatt on Saturday, featuring Fode Camara.
Troupe honors
^tribal traditions
By MEG MOORE
THE GAMECOCK
Presenting a high-energy celebration
of musical tradition, the Borenya West
African Drum and Dance troupe will
stage its first show of the semester this
evening in the Russell House Ballroom.
Having become USC’s resident dance
company as of this fall, the group has
again partnered with the university after
spending two years as a private troupe.
The partnership allows the group to
introduce more students to their
performance craft.
“We share our skills with dance
Appreciation students, make the
company available for apprentice
students wishing to join the company,
perform twice a year at the Koger
Center with the USC Dance Company,
and teach classes and workshops,” said
Laura Price, the company’s director.
“We also bring in guest artists as a way
of sharing this beautiful art form with
students.”
Visually engaging, the group’s
combination of dance and rhythm stems
from a rich cultural history. All of the
costumes are made using fabrics from
West Africa, Price said.
“We gather our material from Guinea,
West Africa ... where some of us make
frequent trips,” Price said. Authenticity is
also stressed when it comes to instruments
and dress. “We play traditional music
using the instruments of the djembe
orchestra: djembe, doundoun, sangban,
kenkeni, balafon, krin, gongoma and
bolon,” she said.
With around 20 members, including
drummers and dancers, the group puts
on about 30 performances a year,
scheduling large venue shows along with
appearances at local schools, festivals
and private functions. Incorporating
around 10 musical numbers, a typical
show involves months of planning and
rehearsal, from the choreography of
drum work and dances to the actual
learning of the material. A new
production is put together every year.
Tonight’s performance will tun a
little over an hour with no intermission,
giving attendees a unique glimpse at the
human spirit captured on stage. As the
♦ Please see DANCE, page 6
Singer/songwriter Angie Aparo returns to Columbia with new band, fresh style
By MARIA CHARLES
STAFF WRITER
Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Angie Aparo
and The Infidels are making the rounds
throughout the Southeast and will crank out the
tunes at New Brooldand Tavern this evening.
“Angie’s always been known as a singer
songwriter,” said Brian Cooley, of Wicked West
Public Relations. But now Aparo is traveling with
a five-piece band that has more of a rock sound,
Cooley said. Aparo’s new Infidels include Mark
Dannells on guitar, Derek Murphy on drums,
Shannon Woods on bass and Martin Lesch on
keyboards.
Before joining with The Infidels, Aparo
released his first record, “Out of Everywhere,” in
1996. Describing this record on his Web site as a
“stripped-down keeping-it-real folky thing,”
Aparo moved on to more polished production in
1999 with his next
record, “The
The record was a major release on Arista.
Producer Matt Serletic, who has worked with
matchbox twenty, Santana, Aerosmith and Edwin
McCain guided Aparo as he recorded “The
American.” The single “Spaceship” was released
and received airtime on VH 1.
Aparo spent time touring and “struggling to
survive” after the release of album. He received a
call from Serletic telling him that Faith Hill was
interested in covering a song off “The American”
called “Cry.” Faith Hill’s success with the song
allowed Aparo to pay his bills and stay on the
road.
While on tour Aparo often included cover
songs in his sets and decided to release a record of
some of his favorites in 2001. “One With The
Sun” contains covers of tunes by a wide array of
artists including the Beastie Boys, Alice in Chains
and Elton John.
He’s now focused on working and writing with
The Infidels. Though they do not have a record
out yet, Aparo and The Infidels hope to make one
available in summer 2005. As they tour they are
writing new material. Two new demos, “Spider
Song” and “Me and My Jane,” are available at
www.angieaparo.com.
On “Spider Song,” Aparo sings about the need
for acceptance. “This is a spider song./ We’re not
so different y’all,/ We all just want to be loved./
Whether we walk or crawl.”
vMe and My Jane” recalls the story of a
relationship that began in high school: “Growing
up was gonna be bitter and sweet for me and my
Jane,” Aparo sings as he recounts the discovery
and disappointments of young love.
Both songs incorporate steady, pulsing beats.
The demos mix raw rock music, but follow
typical pop length and structure. Aparo’s unique
voice carries the right tone to fit the mood of the
songs.
Admission for the show is $10 with doors
opening at 9 p.m. New Brookland Tavern is
located at 122 State St. in the Vista.
Comments on this stoiy? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@givm.sc.edu
phot^^^BtothegWcock
Angie Aparo, second left, performs\Wis band The/
wiII be playing at New BrobWenw
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Incredibles’ live up to super-sized hype
“The Incredibles"
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By LESLIE DENNIS
THE GAMECOCK
Once upon a time the world was
protected by superheroes who could
stretch across two buildings, uproot
mighty oak trees from the ground and
literally freeze a criminal in his or her
tracks. But one day someone got upset
with the superheroes and started filing
frivolous lawsuits against those who
once saved the world from total
destruction. So the superheroes were
forced into hiding, and they were never
to be heard from again.
And so begins Pixar’s latest
animated blockbuster, “The
Incredibles.”
Opening with vintage footage of
archetypal superheroes, the film
automatically sucks the audience into
the lives of the underappreciated and
overworked Supers.
While running late for his wedding
to Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), Mr.
Incredible’s efforts to save a man
backfires.
The man files a lawsuit, saying he
never asked or wanted to be saved,
prompting others to follow his lead.
The government enacts the
Superhero Relocation Act in which Mr.
Incredible and Elastigirl become Bob
and Helen Parr, now forced into
uniformity with the rest of society.
Flash forward 15 years, to a
hulking Bob (Craig T. Nelson, of
TV’s “Coach), now a bit overweight,
at his desk in an insurance office,
telling old ladies their insurance
doesn’t cover their hip replacement
surgery.
Helen is now a full-time mother to
Violet, their teenage daughter with
the ability to become invisible and
create force fields to shield against
outside objects; Dash, their son with a
penchant for using his speed to
torture his teachers; and Jack Jack, the
infant with apparently no powers.
But Bob still craves the old times
and the glory days, and when he gets a
top-secret offer by an equally
enigmatic woman, he jumps at the
chance to slide back into his now too
small superhero suit.
Little does Bob know that he is
being set up by the evil Syndrome
(Jason Lee), and soon the rest of the
family gets in on the action when Bob
mysteriously goes missing.
While “The Incredibles” is an
animated movie, adults and children
alike cannot help but be amazed by the
action sequences and appreciate the
technology behind it all.
While the film initially has a “Spy
Kids”-like feel, “The Incredibles”
shows off its intelligence and
superiority through wit and the parody
of today’s obsession with perfect heroes
and suburban life.
As part of distinguished lineage of
animated films including ‘'Toy Story,”
“Monsters, Ing.” and “Finding Nemo,”
and as Pixar’s first movie to use only
human characters, “The Incredibles”
has an enormous amount of hype and
history to live up to.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thankfully, director Brad Bird, who
was also behind 1999’s “The Iron
Giant,” delivers big with a film full of
humor and heart.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatres@givm.se. edu
Cat Stevens receives ‘Man for Peace’
■ Singer awarded
after being accused
of links to terrorists
By ANGELA DOLAND
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROME — Former Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev honored the singer
once known as Cat Stevens with a peace
prize on Wednesday, praising him for
charity work and for standing by his
convictions despite personal hardships.
Yusuf Islam was awarded the “Man
for Peace” prize in Rome at the
opening of a meeting of Nobel Peace
Prize laureates. He last made headlines
in September, when he turned up on
Washington’s no-fly list for having
suspected ties to terrorists — a claim he
has strongly denied.
The “Peace Train” singer, who
largely gave up music after converting
to Islam in the late 1970s, mused about
the strangeness of being barred from
one country while being honored in
another.
“Perhaps it’s part of the irony that
sometimes you have to go through a
test in order to achieve a prize,” he told
reporters. “So maybe that’s a symbol.
Today I’m receiving a prize for peace,
which is actually, I would say, a bit
more descriptive of my ideas and my
aims in life.”
The British musician was expelled
from the United States in September
after authorities diverted his London
to-Washington flight to Maine to
remove him, saying he was suspected of
ties to terrorism.
Islam criticized what he called an
“unjust and arbitrary system,” and that
he has denounced terrorism. He also
pointed out that just a few months
earlier, he had met with officials of the
White House’s Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives to talk
about philanthropy.
Lawyers for the singer have asked
American officials to remove his name
from the no-fly list and British Foreign
♦ Please see PEACE, page 6