2B
Quick Looks
Wednesday June 21, 2000
HOROSCOPES
Aries (March 21-April 19).
Home and family are important this week. Monday through Wednesday, you should be able to get what you need to fix up the place. It's a good time to get a loan. Read through instruction manuals Thursday and Friday so you'll know how to do everything yourself. During the weekend, invite the family to help.
Taurus (April 20-May 20).
Gemini (May 21-June 21).
You're in learning mode this week. Monday through mid- Wednesday you're strong. Polish skills and ask for a pay increase or get a better job Thursday or Friday. The type of job where you already have experience would be best. A friend could use some good advice during the weekend. Make yourself available.
You might be able to make a lot of money Monday or Tuesday if you follow the advice of a person who already has it made. Don't take risks Wednesday, and don't get overly confident Thursday or Friday. You may not know everything yet. Expect more money during the weekend, but you need a mentor because you won't make gains by yourself.
Cancer (June 22-July 22).
You're strong this week. Your friends might elect you to a leadership position Monday or Tuesday. Don't start new projects; finish old ones. Just when you think you have everything done, you'll discover another mess Wednesday or Thursday. Wrap things up with a flourish Friday. You could find yourself in the spotlight during the weekend. Accept the accolades for a job well done.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22).
You might get called on the carpet this week. Tidy things up before anybody finds out what you don't want them to know. You should have Monday through Wednesday to do that, but there's no guarantee. Your friends will support you Thursday and Friday. Clean the garage and other messes.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
You're surrounded by friends, and that could give you the courage to try something different. Polish old skills Monday through Wednesday. You might be qualified for a career move by Thursday or Friday, but don't go into a new field.
Act as if you're on stage every minute. Be gracious, and you'll further your career. Access other people's money Monday and Tuesday to get something you need. Wrap up the deal Wednesday, and it should be profitable. Take off on Thursday and Friday, but don't go far because business needs your attention.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).
Pay your bills Monday through Wednesday. If you're debt-free, stash your pennies. You'll be tempted to spend on Thursday, but don't. Get expert advice to make sure you're not taking any risks, especially on Friday. Get out for a change of scenery Sunday, but keep a lid on costs. Use your imagination instead of your money.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).
Take a vacation this week. Go out to dinner at an exotic location between Monday and Wednesday. If you've saved your money, you'll be able to pay for a special treat on Thursday or Friday. During the weekend go to a place you've known for years with a person you've always loved. You're apt to make a good impression on an impor; person Sunday.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20).
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb 18).
This should be a nice week for you. Watch and listen Monday through Wednesday. Somebody, maybe a child, has something they want to tell you. Stay close to home Thursday and Friday. What you're learning won't all come from what's said; pay attention to what's being done, too. Hide out with a person you love this weekend, and talk about things you've never said to each other before.
Monday through Wednesday, the people who need you most are close to home. They'll let you know what they want. Thursday and Friday, look for ways to make their lives easier They won't know how to tell you. During the weekend, you may take care of somebody who has taken care of you.
You might be in the mood to form a romantic partnership Monday through Wednesday, but it will only work well with an old friend. You'll be busy Thursday and Friday. It's a great weekend to get married, especially if you've known your sweetheart for a long time. If you don't have a sweetheart, this could be the week you meet one!
Note: Horoscopes have no basis in scientific fact and should be read for entertainment purposes only.
The nine-piece band, Phat Phunktion, chills at their homebase in Madison, Wis. The group will play at 10 p.m. on Saturday at The Jazzhaus, 926-1/2 Massachusetts St. Contributed photo.
Funk band to funkify Lawrence
Phat Phunktion hones unique sound from diverse styles
By BriAnne Hess
Kansan co-editor
The nine-piece band, Phat Phunktion,
make a stop on their Midwest tour at the
Jazzhaus, 926-1-2 Massachusetts St., at 10
p.m. Saturday.
Rob Szudy, bass and vocals, has been a Phat Phunktion member since the band formed in 1996 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Have you played in Lawrence before?
Szudy: This is, in fact, our maiden voyage to Kansas. We are very excited because several members of the band have friends and relatives there and we hear it is as much of a party town as where we come from!
What have been the band's influences?
Study; That's a big question. Most of the band went to the University of Wisconsin School of Music, and most of us studied jazz to some extent or another. Certainly this has a role in shaping our sound, but at the same time, our tastes in popular music came from all different directions, from old school soul to heavy metal to Top 40 pop of all ages and a number of other styles. I think it is this wealth of ideas coming from vastly different backgrounds on a common palette that make Phat Phunktion sound unique.
How would you classify Phat
Phunktion's sound?
Szudy: We make music that makes people
want to move and dance and feel good. That is what it is all about for us, and that is what the music sounds like. Think of it as the ultimate drug for forgetting your work week! On a more specific level, we have a rather large horn section compared to most bands, as well as five members who sing and this certainly adds a lot to the sound.
What is funk, exactly?
Sudy: At its core, funk is a kind of music pioneered in the '70s where normally melodic instruments are used rhythmically. Funk is all about rhythm and movement, and that is why so many people find it so irresistible. A lot of pop has funk in it, but to me the funk is that essence underneath that makes you want to move in ways you don't normally move and forget about what you look like doing it. Like I said — feeling good! (Can't beat that!)
What music/artists do you listen to now?
Szudy: Lessee...on the road in the vans we listen to a lot of Greazy Meal; some D'Angelo; Earth, Wind & Fire; Stevie Wonder...those are just a few that we have been listening to on the last few trips. Whenever anybody picks up a new CD, we generally all check it out as we cover the miles. We also listen to a lot of CDs from other bands we play with in various regions.
Several great Chicago bands we play with a lot are Bumpus and Fat Time, and we listen to them fairly often, as well as Left Undone and Mama Digdown's Brass Junction.
What do you think of the influx of boy bands and Britney Spears into the pop culture?
Sudy: Like all things, the music industry works in cycles. Just as people started to get sick of 80s poser rock, they found the
grunge to absorb their attention. Recently there has been a shift back towards pop solo artists, and this nearly always comes with interest in boy/girl groups.
These groups always grow up! As these youth pop cycles wind down, the public focus often moves back towards bands who write their own music. I do not think there is any right or wrong way to experience music — they are all good. The important thing to remember is that there is more great music out there than ever before, and this is undeniably true regardless of who is selling multi-platinum this quarter. In fact, ample evidence of this is the wealth of great regional bands I mentioned above.
How do your live shows differ from your recording?
Study: Immensely! It seems to me that there is no way to record onto a piece of plastic the experience of being right there, moving and sweating to the music of nine people playing their asses off. It just cannot be done. Our albums sound great, don't get me wrong, but the whole level of energy is just not something you can compare. We also change it up quite a bit from the recorded versions. If one of us starts a musical idea playing off of the song in a new way, we can all go with that and make something new happen, and that spontaneity is impossible to experience without being there.
Your fans are referred to as phatheads — do they follow the band around a la deadheads and phishheads?
Study: You know, some of them do! The most devoted of our fans have most certainly earned the title of "phathead," so we like to believe that everyone else is just a "phathead in training." (Deep voice-over: Come to the Phat! You cannot resist the Phat! Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain...oops!)