Volume 139, Issue 7
BY CODY COTULLA
Contributing Writer
Click to see our Photo Essay!
PHOTOS BY DAN ELDRIDGE |
A band starting out needs a sympathetic ear. The Passionistas, a band with strong City College ties, found that in singer/songwriter Kelley Stoltz, who saw them perform at the Make-Out Room.
Later when Stoltz provided the San Francisco Bay Guardian with his list of top live experiences for 2004, he placed The Passionista’s show fifth.
Getting mentioned in the Guardian gave the band legitimacy.
“Bookers started calling us and treating us different,” said guitarist Aaron Mayfield-Sunshine, who writes and sings the band’s songs.
The band has been together a little more than a year, and according to bass player Andrew Lux, everything’s been happening quickly.
“We went from house parties to the Make-Out Room,” Lux said. This has led them to joke about getting a record deal in the next year, but they are trying to stay realistic about what the future holds.
“As long as we keep getting shows we’ll keep playing,” said Lux, who is taking four classes at City College this semester, working on his general education requirements so he can transfer to a four-year university.
The other band members, Mayfield-Sunshine and drummer Myles Cooper, another City College student, are also busy and find that their schedules make it hard for them to get together and practice.
But the lack of practice doesn’t worry them.
“That’s kind of our sound. We don’t really care too much about trying to sound professional. We’re just trying to have fun,” Lux said.
It may have been that unpolished sound that caught Stoltz’s attention. “They play the way ‘musicians’ can’t. I mean that in the best way,” he wrote in the Guardian.
Another local band, Onion Flavored Rings, is not imagining any record deals in the near or distant future. Instead, the band is following the do-it-yourself punk credo and producing their record themselves.
The record, which they are finishing up, will be their second full-length album and features songs written by guitarist and singer Steve Funyon.
“Steve’s the guy in this band,” said drummer Erick Lyle, a City College student.
Lyle said he decided to become a student in 2002 after performing at Ram Plaza in the band Allergic to Bullshit.
“I saw all these students walking around, and I thought it was something I would like to do,” he said.
Funyon and Lyle first performed together on the streets of Miami. Funyon would play guitar, and Lyle would play percussion, banging on whatever was available.
After moving to San Francisco in 2001, Lyle and Funyon got together with bassist Paul Curran to form Onion Flavored Rings.
Lyle said their music is kind of like that of the Buzzcocks, an influential English punk band, and an online review said, “Onion Flavored Rings take the American punk aesthetics and accidentally transmute them with British indie sensibilities.”
Funyon has his own take. “I think of it as music that most people wouldn’t like,” he said.
“In Japan, jazz is just like old guys music, so I never thought about playing it,” said Yoshi Yamada, 24, who has been taking classes at City College for three years and will return to Japan next year, where he hopes to get a regular gig playing jazz.
Currently he plays stand-up bass in the Walter Pope Trio, which performs regularly at Cafe D’Melanio.
Recently he and jazz guitarist Lenny Carlson, one of his teachers at City College, performed there together.
Yamada said the Walter Pope Trio is trying to put together a demo so they can work on getting paid gigs, but for now he’s happy to be getting experience playing in front of people.
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Yamada and the Walter Pope Trio play on select Friday and Saturday nights at Cafe D’Melanio, 1314 Ocean Ave.
For more information about Onion Flavored Rings, visit their Web site at www.onionflavoredrings.com to listen to MP3s of their songs and get show information as it becomes available.
For more information about The Passionistas, go to: www.myspace.com/thepassionistas.
BY JONATHAN FARRELL
Contributing Writer
PHOTOS BY LUBOMIRA RAYKOVA |
Sounds from a trombone have often been heard on campus near the Arts Extension building and some curious listeners want to know more about the “trombone man” behind the music.
Bart Miller is an elder student who has played the trombone for over six years. He practices on campus as much as possible, including weekends.
Miller practices on his trombone at least three hours a day. “I don’t take it lightly, it takes commitment,” he said. “I want to play jazz with other professional musicians.”
Miller envisions himself in a group, ensemble or band. “There are many bass and guitar players for jazz groups but not many trombone players,” he said.
Miller wants to create a harmonious moment in music that he feels is not possible by him alone. “It’s synergy. The vocal and the instrument chord are so interdependent upon each musician,” he said.
Miller, who works in real estate, got his inspiration from The Four Freshmen, a vocal quartet. “I was attending one of their fan club conventions about six years ago and I realized it is never too late,” he said.
He always wanted to be a musician and also enjoyed singing. In his youth he performed vocals with many amateur groups. Steadfast in his interest, vocal jazz was what Miller wanted to hear and Miller has tried to form a vocal jazz quartet. “Being at that convention simply pushed me to take my dream to reality,” he said.
“I admire him for what he is trying to do at his age,” said David Hardiman, Sr., who recently retired after 30 years as Director of Jazz Studies at City College. Hardiman hopes Miller will continue to take classes to help reach his full potential. “I find him to be a very amiable person and he has the right attitude to improve,” Hardiman said.
“Fame and money are not what is driving me,” Miller said. “I don’t want to die with the music still in me.”
HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE STAYS ON TRACK
BY KATHLEEN DONOVAN
Editor
PHOTO COURTESY OF BUENA VISTA PICTURES |
A movie that starts with a dolphin musical number has a lot to prove. Yet the stylish and entertaining “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” has the originality of Douglas Adams’ books despite Disney’s best effort at turning it into Hollywood schmaltz. But don’t worry, schmaltz lovers, there is still enough to satisfy your type.
Following the destruction of Earth, hapless and hopelessly ordinary Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is whisked away from imminent death by his friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def), an alien disguised as an out-of-work actor. Out in the galaxy, they suffer various misadventures and meet a host of interesting characters played by an all-star cast.
Sam Rockwell stands out as Zaphod Beeblebrox, president of the galaxy. Dressed outlandishly and mimicking George W. Bush, Rockwell delivers his lines with a vibrancy that plays well against Freeman’s ever-confused Arthur and Def’s cool and understated Ford.
Trisha McMillan (played by Zooey Deschanel) is Zaphod’s Earth girlfriend. Though lovely and an adequate actress, Des-chanel’s performance seems flat.
Big names bring grace to small roles in the film, includ-ing Alan Rickman as the voice of depressed robot Marvin, Bill Nighy as a planetary construction engineer, and John Malkovich as Humma Kavula.
In his directorial debut, Garth Jennings catches the spoofy, tongue-in-cheek feel of Adams’ books. But the filmmaker adds scenes of jarring sentimentality that belies the cynicism of the books. Then the movie goes back to being funny again.
One warning: Don’t go to this movie with the hopes of viewing a special effects spectacular. The big guns come out for certain scenes, but costumed actors are used more often than computer animation, and some of the effects seem downright vintage. Rather than detracting from the film, the retro effects add charm.
e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com