Thursday, April 27, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B • Page 3
Break-dancing bragging rights earned on floor
Continued from page 1B
To battle?
"It can become a competition." Royal said.
Hamilton said uprocking, another break-dancing move, was one way to summon a contender into the circle. Pointing at a potential challenger is one part of an uprocking combination.
"It's very overt." Hamilton said. "We're not tryin' to be subtle."
The competition was serious — if someone's uprocking, you get out there, he said.
"It's a no-contact fight, is what it is." he said.
According to George, breaking is indeed a highly stylized form of combat, grounded in a commitment to competition. While it was developed first by African Americans in the early 1970s, Hispanics made the dance style competitive. In the tradition of urban gang cul
ture, groups of dancers called breaking crews would challenge other dancers to meet them at a specific playground, street corner or subway platform. Toting large pieces of cardboard or linoleum instead of guns or knives, they formed a circle where breakers dued one another two at a time, move matching move, until one of the crews was acknowledged as the victor.
Hamilton admitted to harboring a competitive, even elitist, attitude about the circle. Not everyone is welcome in its center.
"If you break the circle and you're a chump, and you're obviously just there to make fun of us, you're gonna get dissed pretty hard," he said.
Hamilton said b-boys had a low tolerance for interplayers.
culture."
"We'll do anything we can to dis' em and get them out of there," he said. "They have no idea the inner workings of the
Around 1:15, not long before the last call, a girl who nobody knows approaches the edge of the circle. She waits a while, steps into the center and starts break dancing. She and Kuiibayashi take turns, pointing at each other after each combination, inviting attempts to "top that." After a few smaller moves, Kuiibayashi moves in for the kill. He steps back, toes the edge of the circle, then explodes, hurling his body into a huge butterfly-twist flip.
The girl kneels down and simply bows to her opponent.
Kuribayashi goes again.
After he finishes he crouches in the corner, inviting the girl to take one more turn.
Again, she just hows
The girl isn't part of the regular crew. She was doing more gymnastics than dancing, but it still impressed people, Hamilton said.
"You'll get some props for
"If you break the circle and you're a chump, and you're obviously just there to make fun of us..."
Doug Hamilton 1998 KU graduate
doing that in the circle," he said.
Before anyone leaves, the two competitors make introductions and shake hands.
Snelson agreed.
"You go out; you show your stuff," Hamilton said. "You know who wins, but you're friends afterwards."
Sneaklough seemed
"The competition part doesn't get to the point that you get mad at each other, unless somebody takes it too seriously," he said. "it's all about
havin' fun while you're out there."
Until Next Time
"Mon now, head out," bouncers yell. "Let's head for the door."
Shortly before 2 a.m. the strobes stop abruptly, and the house lights come up. The pounding music slows to a slur, then finally stops altogether.
Smoke seems to file out the door with the people. Outside, the remaining patrons talk and laugh, but most people don't linger for long.
After the club closes, those who aren't ready to head home take the b-boy culture back to its roots and dance on the sidewalk. Sometimes all the way down Massachusetts Street to their parked vehicles, which will carry the same crowd back tomorrow night.
And probably the next.
edited by Amanda Kaschube
— Designed by Kyle Ramsey
No Doubt
Return of Saturn
Ruv it used
The four-piece girl/ska/punk/whatever else group returns five years after its breakthrough album *Traxic Kingdom*.
Lead singer Gwen Stefani still moans, pouts and preens on practically every song, but the album features some strong tunes and nice production touches from old hand Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette. Wilson Phillips).
"Bathwater" boasts a New Orleans horn section and a memorable melody line, while "Ex-Girlfriend" is a strong single along the lines of *Tragic Kingdom*的"Just a Girl". What's more, the hidden track at the very end of the album — a piano-and-string-instrumental — adds a definite touch of class.
The album is far too long, however. At 14 tracks and more than an hour, it's practically impossible to sit through the whole thing without gnawing off an arm or leg in frustration. Certain songs such as the interminable "Marry Me" drag on and on, while Stefani's lyrics often descend into grinding banality.
The group has obviously worked hard, though, and the five-year birthing period shows in the polished sheen of the album's sound. Return of Saturn may not be great art, but its careful crafting and often catchy songs will reward the patient listener.
- Clay McCuistion
Peter Searcy Could You Please and Thank You Buy it
bands Squirrel Bait and Big Wheel, turns in a spiffy collection of grungy pop that sounds like it's still 1994. That's not a bad thing, really.
Searcy's voice is edgy, yet tuneful, and his songs mime the angst-ridden vein used successfully by fellow mopers such as Paul Westerberg, Bob Mould and Matthew Sweet. The album refuses to follow trends and instead provides 39 minutes and 11 songs-worth of thoughtful and well-played music.
Nothing really stands out, but that's only because none of the songs are blindingly awful. "Losing Light Fast" is an aggressive slice of power pop, while "Broken" sounds decidedly country-esque. "Movie Star Life" is a quiet meditation on lost love, with Searcy playing the piano and mournful steel guitars weeping in the background.
Any of the album's tracks could be highlighted. It's that consistent.
An album as supremely listenable as Could You Please and Thank You deserves more exposure and many more listeners.
Clay McCuistion
Peter Searcy, veteran of cult favorite
Drag-On
Drag-On
Opposite of H20
Burn it
Drag-On's newest contribution to the Ruff Ryders saga, Oppsite of H20, is sheer, cold self-indulgence. Synthesized horns and strings accentuate uninteresting drum machine rhythms, most of which are merely a background for Drag-On's flowing skills.
The talented Eve gives it up on "Here We Go," and on other tracks, the Lox, Parle, Swizz Beatz and P. Killer Trackz also represent the Ruff Ryders.
DMX, leader of the Ruff Ryders crew, makes his energetic appearance on the hit single "Niggs Die 4 Me." That's just one of the countless cameos on this album, though.
But what exactly does Drag-On say on this album as he proves that he can rap fairly well? Obviously Drag-On has lived a hard life, experienced violence and fought to survive. He wears his much deserved badge of pain with pride. He has a right and a duty to tell it like it is.
— Melineh Kurdian
However, the word gratuity takes on a totally new meaning as the objects of Drag-On's fire and brimstone are crushed, whether it is innocent. "I'll kill a chick who steals from my crib, right in front of her child with no feel for the kid," he vows, in the title track featuring Jadakiss from The Lox. An apparently handicapped man in a wheel chair is pushed violently down a hill and laughed at in the skit "High Roller." A South Asian hotel clerk is the butt of jokes in "Hot Dick." And, in "Ladies 2000" we learn that he really does love his woman as long as she does "all the cookin' at night in the kitchen" and looks good so he can show her off. That said, he pledges eternal fidelity.
The mundane, repetitive music coupled with silly, offensive lyrics cannot save *Opposite of H20* as it also drags on and on.
Tara
Jane
ONeil
Tara Jane O'Neil
Buy it used
Tara Jane O'Neil's Peregrine washes in and out of mellow dissonance, soothing its way into your listening conscience. While the sound is consistent — a sort of Indie-lounge mix with soft, slightly distorted guitars playing off each other — the rhythms and harmonies make an interesting collage of tones.
Plainly put, this is very beautiful music. O'Neil's voice has a very calming effect, although the softness of her voice does prevent you from catching all of the sweet lyrics full of observant poetry. Her voice is mixed too far into the music and hidden sometimes, but it does come from the shadows to share insight.
— Melineh Kurdian
"Another Sunday" takes some great musical twists and turns as a purely instrumental piece for guitar and piano, and O'Neil shows that words are not essential to communicate emotion. The insistent "Bullhorn Moon," with lazy, driving drums and piano and guitar echoing one another as the New York musician O'Neil slowly observes "there is reason, these are stars, there is tension, reaction to a page ripped apart "
Peregrine moves from a solemn sound to a glowing one, and though it loses itself at times, it always manages to come back to its musical home.
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet & Ground
Buy it
With their second release, the four men of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet prove their superior classical guitar skills. Air & Ground explores not only traditional classical influences, but Celtic, Afro-Cuban and blues roots as well.
Their attack is energetic and fresh as they play with precision on songs like "Cumba-Quin" by composer Carlos Rafael Rivera. In this rhythmic, menacing piece, the four guitars become tools of percussion, imitating the sound of conga drums.
A sense of balance is maintained between the four instruments as they have very gentle, playful interplay in the three part "Celtic Fare."
The Quartet's classical training has allowed them to break down various musical boundaries, shown by their choice of repertoire, and allows for a rich, accurate sound.
Not only are they performers, they are composers as well. William Kanengiser composed and performs the title track, a piece laced with hints of the Baroque and Flamenco influence which infuses his playing.
Scott Tennant's arrangement of "Dirial-on," which means "so they say," is the last in a set of five songs written by contemporary composer Morten Lauridsen. This set, "Les Chansons des Roses" (The Sons of the Roses), is sheer beauty as it usually is performed by choral groups. Tennant's arrangement truly adds a new dimension to this work.
If you want to hear something exciting and new, or you are starved for good guitar music, then Air & Ground is what you need.
Melineh Kurdian
28 Days — Sandra Blunkock stars as an alcoholic in rehab who tries to clean and sober. At Southwest 12, 3433 Iowa St.
American Beauty — A deceased man tells his title of how he turned his miserable life around and turned everyone else's upside down. At Southwind 12.
Movies
American Payco — Christian Bale plays a young Wall Street trader for social media he killed. At Plaza 6, 2339 Iowa St.
The Cider House Rules — A compassionate young man, raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor, decides to leave to see the world. At Plane 6.
The Cup — Tibetan children, studying to be Buddhist monks, discover their passion for soccer. At Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St.
Erin Brockovich — Julia Roberts as a Los Angeles working mother who becomes head investigator in a lawsuit against a California giant that is contaminating the water supply. At Southwind 12.
Final Destination — After a 1.7-year-old visualizes that the plane he and his classmates are on explodes and all on board die, he and his friends leave the aircraft, only to struggle to stay alive on the ground. At Plaza 6.
Frequency — A young man discovers that his ham radio set can reach 30 years into the past — to communicate with his father, a firefighter who died in an accident. At Southwind 12.
The Hintstones: Viva Rock Vegas — In this live-action proquest to the 1984 comedy hit, the Flintstones and the Rubbles go on a trip to Rock Vegas, where Wilma is pursued by playboy Chip Rockeferell, At Southfield 12.
Keeping the Faith — Ben Stiller and Edward Norton play a rabbi and a priest who find themselves in an awkward situation when one of them falls in love with their best friend, Jena Eiffel. At Southwind 12.
Ghost Dog — A contract killer for the martyrs who adheres to ancient Japanese samurai is put to the test when he's blamed for a bungled attack.
Love and Basketball — The story of two young neighbors who share a love for basketball and each other. At Plaza 6.
Gossip — Three college students choose a class project on gossip and how fast it spreads, which spills out of control. At SouthWind 12. High Fidelity — John Cusack plays a Chicago record store owner who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, revisits his romantic history and
Rear Window — A re-release of Alfred Hitchcock's thriller in which a bedridden photographer witnesses a murder from his rear window. At Liberty Hall.
Return to Me — A sickly young woman (Minnie Driver) and a Chicago slyscraper builder (David Duchovny) find love in a most unlikely situation. 12 Southwind 12.
Romeo Must Die — A young Chinese businessman in New York is asked to broker peace between two mobs, but he falls in love with the daughter of the other side's leader. At Plaza 6.
Rules of Engagement — Samuel L. Jackson plays a Marine colonel accused of ordering a pointless civilian massacre while evacuating a besieged U.S. embassy in Yemen, At Southwind 12.
U-571 — World War II action drama about a U.S. Navy submarine captain on a risky mission to swipe a decoding device from a stranded German ship. At Southwind 12.
Where the Heart Is — Natalie Portman is the 7-month pregnant 17-year old girl who is abandoned at a Wal-Mart in the middle of Oklahoma by her boyfriend. She moves into the store and begins a new life. At Southwind 12.
Where the Money Is — Paul Newman stars as a legendary "bank man" posing as an invalid in a nursing home to escape prison, who gets pulled into a bank heist by his nurse. At Southwind 12.
Music
Bands
Tonight:
No Use for a name, Good Ridance, The Mad Caddies, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. $10, all ages.
Julie Peterson, 10 p.m. at the Brown Bear Brewing Co., 729 Massachusetts St. $2, 21 and older.
Tomorrow:
**Thulium, Mars Electric and Grasshatcher Takeover** 10.p.m at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. $6, 18-20, $5, 21 and older.
**BCR**, 10.pm at The Jazzhaus, 926-1/2 Massachusetts St. $4, 21 and older.
Son Venezuela, 9 p.m. at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St.
$6, 18-20, $5, 21 and older.
- Motet, 10 p. m. at the Jazzahaus, 926-1/2 Massachusetts St. $4,
21 and older
Dr. Zhivegas, 8 p.m. at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. $7,
18-20, $6, 21 and older.
Sweep the leg Johnny, Casket Letter and Reflector, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Rottankin 737 New Hammond St. $10, all ages.
Origin, Coffin Fins, Skimeless and Incantation, 10 p.m. at the Bottleken, 737 New Hampshire St., 8-18, 20-12, 71 and older.
Simplexity, 10 p.m. at The Brown Bear Brewing Co., 729 Massachusetts St., 21 and older.
The Jesse Jackson 5, 10 p.m. at The Jazzhaus, 9261/2 Massachusetts St. $4, 21 and older.
Devil's Minda, 8 p.m., at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.
Monday
The Progression Sessions with LT1 Bukem, Blame, Rantoul, DRS & MC Conrad, 8 p.m. at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. $13, 18 and older.
Cella, 10 p.m. at The Brown Bear Brewing Co. 729 Massachusetts St. $2, 21 and older.
Wednesday
Jeffrey Lee and the Pale Moon Kings, The Sheafdogs and B.O.M.B.
9 p.m. at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. $5, 18-20, $4,
21 and older.
Mr. Fieldtrip, 10 p.m. at The Brown Bear Brewing Co., 729 Massachusetts St, $2.21 and older.
FREE TRUCK RENTAL*
- FREE High-Security Locks
Don's Steak House
- Student Specials
- Available with a 3 month minimum rental
2400 FRANKLIN ROAD
The only thing on campus more popular than Roy