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The University Daily Kansan
Music
Thursday, April 5, 2001
Section B • Page 3
The Draft keeps jamming like it always has
By Katie Nelson
By Katie Nelson
jayplay@kansan.com
Jayplay writer
Having been jamming together since high school, these four musicians are still attempting to make it big.
Kyle Marler of Indianapolis, Tim Fitzpatrick, Bob Connealy and Jon Ferns, all Overland Park juniors, make up The Draft, playing Saturday night at the Jazzhaus, 9261/2 Massachusetts St.
Q: How did you form your band?
Tim: Kyle and I played together in middle school and Bob and Jon played together in middle school. When the two schools merged into one high school, the bands coalesced, shedding the lesser elements and forming what we know as The Draft.
O: How long have you known each other?
■Kyle: Me and Tim have been friends since eighth grade. Bob
and Jon have known each other
since kindergarten
since Kindergarten.
Q: You played house parties and some Kansas City venues while you were in high school, but after graduation Jon decided to attend the University of Colorado. What happened then? How did that affect you guys?
horn. I wanted to go to Colorado to explore snowboarding career possibilities. I realized that music was actually more my calling in life.
**Bob:** While Jon was in Colorado, we pretty much broke up. We searched around a little bit for another drummer, and we'd occasionally jam, but we didn't play any gigs. We'd hassle Jon and tried to convince him to come to KU.
Q: Have you evolved as a band since it's creation?
Kyle: We started off as musical Cro-
Magnons playing Lynyrd
Skynyrd and other classic rock
favorites. After that, we had more of a jam band feel like Phish or Widespread. We've lately been focusing on writing our own material, which has a more rock feel.
**Bob:** There are some groove-oriented overtones with a bit of a jammy side, but this takes a back seat to a fairly consistent rock format.
Q: What makes you different from all the other bands out there?
Jon: Our willingness to experiment. We'll play just about any kind of music; techno, gangster ran funk, soul, bluegrass.
Band info:
Q: Who does the writing?
*Kyle:* Actually, Lou Perlman writes all of our original material for us. He also designs our costumes and choreographs our dance move.
**Bob:** Kyle is just kidding. Recently, I have been writing most of material with occasional songs from Tim and Kyle. We usually do a few
The Draft will play at The Jazzhaus, 9261/2 Massachusetts St., on Saturday. Cover is $4, only 21 and older admitted.
covers late at night when everyone is good and messed up. Stuff that people know of might think is humorous.
Q: Who are you influenced by?
*Kyle:* Bands that have lasted and still retain their integrity: Pearl Jam, Radiohead. The Beatles.
Bob: Deep down inside I am a pop rock junky that believes in the power of the dark side.
Q: How often do you play live shows?
*Kyle: Used to play bimonthly, or more at places like Brown Bear, Fatso's, and Johnny's. We've tried to slim this down to one live show*
Tim Fitzpatrick
Kyle Marler
a month at more live music oriented places like The Jazzhaus, which is our current favorite venue.
Q: Do you have any CDs? When were they made?
Bob: We just recently recorded three songs at Z/Gwonth studios here in Lawrence. We've used this recording mainly for promotional purposes and have made
Bob Connealy
lon Ferns
them available for free download on our Web site and at www.thedir.com
Q: What are your goals as a band?
1200. I think we'd like to see how far we can take this. I'll watch MTV or listen to the radio and think: "This stuff isn't as cool as what my band plays" and it pisses me off. I want to be a rock star.
Edited by Jason McKee
Alex Nowe's film The Burning Sensation: A Journey into Burning Man celebrates the legendary Nevada festival. Contributed photo
Graduate's film absurd
Movie contains footage of Burning Man festivals
Bv Robert Pazell
jayplay@kansan.com
layplay writer
Alex Nohe said he had a flair for the absurd and ridiculous.
So it only makes sense that Nohe, a 1993 KU graduate of film and psychology, would direct an independent documentary, The Burning Sensation: A Journey into Burning Man, about the legendary Burning Man Festival, a week-long celebration of the absurd and ridiculous in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.
"It's an underground Woodstock," said Nohe. "There's a rave, a mudist colony, pyrotechnics commission, a museum of modern art. It's the wildest thing you've ever seen in your life."
The film contains footage from the Burning Man Festivals of 1998 and '99 focusing not on the festival itself but preparations and wrap up.
it up into one experience," Nohe said.
Nehe is the Director of Programming for IFP/West. He is also a producer for Independent Focus, a show on the Independent Film Channel.
"We're taking post-1998 and pre-1999 and wrapped
Nhee's film will be a part of the KC Jubilee Film which began yesterday and continues until Sunday. The festival seeks to celebrate independent filmmaking, which can be a long and difficult task.
"It's a lot of work." Noho said. "It's nothing but a non-stop battle every step of the way."
Nohe attributes much of his inspiration to music. A resident of Lawrence for six years, he listened to bands such as My Bloody Valentine and the Replacements and worked as a DJ at KJHK.
"Some relationships there helped me with a job in L.A." Nohe said. "But film is a lot about who you know."
Nhe said he received his foundation at the University of Kansas. He worked as a film programmer for Student Union Activities films.
one said. "I was big into the college music scene." Nohe's film will be shown at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Union Station Extreme Screen. He will have a question and answer session after the screening. Edited by Randy Strom
"I'm very inspired by the creativity of music." Nane said, "I was big into the college music scene."
Women will relate to Bridget
By Clare McLellan
joyplay@kansan.com
Jayplay movie critic
- Edited by Brandy Straw
Translating a wildly popular novel or any novel—into a wildly popular movie is always a difficult task for filmmakers, and Bridget Jones's Diary is no exception.
Capturing the imaginations of all the readers who have their own image of who Bridget is, what her apartment looks like and how attractive her boss truly is, would be daunting to save the least.
The movie follows a year in the life of a 32-year-old single woman, Jones, who lives in London, works
Movie info:
The Diary of Bridget Jones opens at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at The Plaza 6, 2339 Iowa St.
In Bridget Jones's Diary, Renee Zellweger portrays Bridget Jones, a neurotic, chain smoking Brit search for the perfect man. Contributed photo
Year's resolutions and recording the process in her diary.
Now, it's doubtful many readers saw Renée Zellweger as the Vokaguzzzling, chain-smoking, somewhat neurotic and "chubby" Jones. (Although her psychotically-charming performance in *Nurse Betty* did show Zellweger stretching her acting limits quite well.) She is not British, her accent is a bit forced, and she just seems too sweet and innocent to be the true "Singleton" that is Bridget Jones.
What the movie does offer is a slightly lighter version of Bridget's life than the book describes, and Zellweger fits appropriately into it. Much of the story, however, remains true to the book. Author Helen Fielding co-wrote the screenplay for the movie and much of the dialogue and many scenes are lifted directly from the pages of her novel.
Oddly, an integral part of the book, Bridget's daily log of pounds gained or lost, units of alcohol drunk, cigarettes smoked and calories consumed, appear only two or three times early on in movie. Also, much of the cheeky British humor and English feel of the book doesn't make it to the screen. For example, wesee Bridget watching Frasier and singing through tears to American music. This is something easily
fixed and usually done with a production company like Miramax, which normally trusts its audience's cultural savvy behind the film. It could have more to do with first-time director Sharon Maguire, perhaps wanting to make the movie more palatable for American audiences.
A notable strength in the film is Hugh Grant, who breaks from his typical Notting Hill/Four Weddings and a Funeral persona, playing Bridget's womanizing, yet irresistible, boss, Daniel Cleaver.
performance is practically flawless,
even with the writer of the aforementioned movies, Richard Curtis,
co-writing Jones.
Strayings from the book aside, Bridget Jones's Diary is a smartly written movie. It's full of fresh humor and a main character whom all women can identify with on some level. Bridget unabashedly voices our frustrations, embraces our shortcomings and screws up just as much as we do.
God bless her.
- Edited by Brandy Straw