The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 07, 2006, Page 5, Image 5
THE MIX
Friday, April 7, 2006 _JL Jl 1 1 ^ JL*_I ■ ^ m Page 5
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MEAD
Locals keep rockin Columbia,
bring attention-getting sound
to New Brookland Tavern
w
Devon Ulech
THE GAMECOCK
With the slogan, “Give
the gift of Head,” Columbia
band Mind Your Head plans
to take over the airwaves
with their melodic hard
rock.
Bringing influences from
some of today’s biggest rock
acts, the band delivers an
eclectic blend of accessible
yet unique alternative
music.
W The band formed two
years ago with four members
responding to bassist Tim
Roberts’ ad, which called
for other musicians to start
a rock band with.
All were in college, all
aspiring musicians and all
equally unaware of what the
future held for the band.
Fast-forward two years
- Mind Your Head has
plenty of impressive
accomplishments under its
relatively young belt.
The band has toured
through the Southeast
playing gigs in Myrtle
Beach, Atlanta and
Fayetteville, N.C.
Influenced by bands like
Tool, Chevelle, Alice in
Chains and Staind, Mind
Your Head takes pride in
writing hard-hitting rock.
Combining unique guitar
riffs, expansive bass lines,
unconventional drums and
melodic vocals, the band
brings a refreshing sound to
the Columbia music scene.
The band had the
privilege to play at the Five
Points St. Patrick’s Day
Festival with Seven Mary
Three, Saliva and regional
favorites Stretch Arm
Strong. Their, music has
also been spun on WXJSC,
Rock 93.5 and 93.3 The
Planet.
Mind Your Head
has quickly gained live
credibility through their
participation and finalist
selection in the 2005 Jillian’s
Battle of the Bands and
2005 Modern Music Studios
Battle of the Bands.
This year, Mind Your
Head has the opportunity
to gain even more exposure
as finalists in the 2006
Locals Live competition.
The event is sponsored
by Columbia radio station
Rock 93.5 and began with
nine bands competing.
Mind Your Head is now
a finalist with four bands
remaining and will be
facing off at the Locals
Live finals at Jillian’s April
11. The band hopes to
win the competition with
their energetic live show.
Mind Your Head strives to
achieve a connection with
the audience by encouraging
audience participation and
musical bondage.
Already having played
50 shows over the last two
years, Mind Your Head
has perfected their stage
presence.
The band has recorded
an untitled four-track EP,
which they recorded while
being entertained by a KISS
pinball machine.
Mind Your Head has
distributed over 200 copies
of their release during their
successful travels in a ‘95
straight-drive Ford Ranger.
The ultimate goal of
the band is to play music
professionally. Spending
an average of 10 hours a
week rehearsing, even more
time practicing individually,
making merchandise to sell
at shows and booking gigs
will surely pay off for the
band and help them achieve
their goal.
Mind Your Head
performs next tonight at
New Brookland Tavern.
Doors open at 9 p.m. and
admission is $5.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gum.sc. edu
Special to THF. GAMECOCK
Diary of a young
comedy troupe
Trustus Theatre
to host <explosive’
sketch comedy show
dlartha Hearn
THE GAMECOCK
There is a legion of
comedic actors hidden in the
underbelly of Columbia.
Tonight, a group of
warriors will appear above
ground for one night only
to present the “Happy
^ Explosion Sketch Comedy
P Show” at the Trustus
Theatre.
This is a journal of their
struggle, a play-by-play
of one of their intense
meetings, two nights before
the big event. Tensions
are high. Tempers fly. But
comedy reigns supreme.
1 he characters: n.ci. rieard,
Martha Hearn, Patrick
Kelly, Stephanie Price, Kelly
Gibson, Joe Laney, Field
Cantey, Chad Henderson
and Nate Herring.
10:15 p.m. — It begins...
^ By some crazy stroke
w of luck, the group is able
to meet 45 minutes early.
All except one member,
Stephanie, who didn’t
get the vital time-change
message. They will go on
without her.
10:20 p.m. — Deep space
Costumes and props
must be retrieved from the
shop. The group rummages
through the darkness,
desperately searching for
glitter vests, a Viking hat
and maracas. Everything is
recovered.
10:30 p.m. — Violent
briefing
The first clash of the
evening. Martha tells
everyone to grab a pencil
to take notes on scene
transitions. Chad doesn’t
have a pencil. “Let me use
yours when you’re done,” he
implores Martha.
“I have to write, too. Just
go get one from the office,”
she replies. Suddenly, Chad
punches Martha in the face.
Martha is thrown to the
ground from the force of
the blow.
She immediately wipes
the blood from her nose
and surprises Chad with a
tornado kick to his package.
The two run at each
other, locking into mutual
chokeholds. However, right
before Chad and Martha
pass out, they catch sight of
Field’s beautiful face. The
tension is alleviated. Chad
gets a pencil.
10:45 p.m. — With
feeling!
Stephanie arrives just in
time to console Kelly and
Joe, who thought she had
died in a brutal badger
attack and were attempting
to construct a Stephanie
robot out of popcorn and
electrical tape. They start
running the show.
10:50 p.m. — Oh the
agony
The show is going
smoothly with a great Disney
song parody transitioning
into the second sketch of
the night. Props are still
missing, however, and the
players must reach into
the depths of their souls to
“mime/’ which can be a fatal
to some, but these guys are
professionals.
11:15 p.m. — Halt
There is a hitch in the
flow. It is a musical number
and they need a microphone.
Patrick must brave the
backstage area and hook it
up. He just makes it to the
stage with the high-voltage
equipment when suddenly a
great surge goes throughout
the theater, straight into
Patrick’s hands. He is dead.
The musical number goes
on.
11:30 p.m. — Final
curtain
They have reached the
final sketch. Somehow Joe
managed to revive Patrick
by clucking like a chicken.
The group suspects voodoo
but doesn’t want to jinx
the show by bringing it
up. Minutes before curtain
call, Kelly’s top leaps from
her body, exposing her
basoombas.
The possessed top tries
to strangle E.G., who has
been taking notes from
the audience. E.G. fights
for her precious life. Field
tackles her from the side,
frightening Kelly’s devil top
away. Everyone is safe and
takes a bow.
11:40 p.m. — From the
top
After a brief break for
the group to wipe their
sweating brows, Nate, light
man extraordinaire, shows
up and they run the show
once more to program the
light board.
Nothing out of the
ordinary occurs during this
run except for a squid attack,
two stabbings, a brief plague
and a few forgotten lines. It
was all very well lit.
1:00 a.m. — Beaten but
triumphant
comeDv • i
Special to THE GAMECOCK
Martha Hearn, Joe Laney and Kelly Gibson will be part of
the “Happy Explosion Sketch Comedy Show” tonight.
Tonight At The
Movies
Animated sequel
thaws out nicely
Marjorie Riddle
STAFF WRITER
“Ice Age: The
Meltdown” has enough
humor to enthrall children
and entertain adults and
equals the original with its
witty one-liners.
The lovable Manny the
mammoth, Sid the sloth
and Diego the saber
toothed tiger return as the
Ice Age comes to an end.
Their once frozen world
begins melting, presenting
vegetation and a plusher
environment.
Unfortunately, the
mountains of ice that are
slowly melting will cause
a giant flood paralleled to
the flood that came with
Noah’s ark.
Once Manny, Sid
and Diego realize their
community’s fate if they
don’t escape to the giant
life-salvaging boat, they
try to warn their fellow
creatures.
They begin a long trek
to the prepared boat and
along the way meet Ellie,
Eddie and Crash. Ellie is
another mammoth, which
delights Manny because he
thought he was the last of
his kind and on the verge
of extinction. But Ellie
thinks she is an opossum,
as she was adopted by
Eddie and Crash’s mother.
She hilariously hangs from
trees by her tail when she
sleeps and camouflages
herself when traveling
during the day.
As they make their
voyage to the boat, Manny
develops a mad crush on
Ellie, all the while trying
to disguise his feelings
from Sid and Diego.
As the flood ominously
threatens the animals’ very
existence, their tight-knit
herd runs into perilous
adventures, and they
have to decide if they are
willing to depend on one
another for survival.
Throughout the movie,
Scrat the saber-toothed
squirrel furiously and
comically tries to obtain
his beloved acorn. The
poor squirrel cannot hold
onto the acorn despite his
tireless efforts. Just as in
“Ice .Age,” audiences will
want to say, “Bless his
heart and just give him the
daggum acorn!”
Movies aimed at children
are no longer exclusively
for younger audiences.
“Shrek” may have been
the trendsetter, but the
sharp writing and range of
comedic talent involved in
movies like “Ice Age: The
Meltdown” make it just as
hilarious for the R-rated
generation.
Ray Romano is a born
comedic talent, and lending
his voice to Manny in the
animated film doesn’t
damper his laugh-inducing
results. He’s sarcastic and
funny, and it shows. Queen
Latifah as the voice of Elbe
is the funniest character
in the film. She’s such a
clever actress — even as
ICCR6C • 6