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6 « The Red and Black « Wednesday. September 26, 1990
A&E
■ BEST BET
Tonight the 40 Watt will be a happenin' place. Those upbeat
popsters Doubts Even Here are playing a farewell show, so don't
miss your last chance to see these guys. Openers The Violets
are back from their summer tour and ready to rock.
Downstairs Cafe supports local, independent filmmakers
By DAVID WILLIAMS
Contributing Writer
The Athens film scene has been
nearly non-existent for many
years, but the proprietors of the
Downstairs Cafe hope to create
new interest by providing a forum
for local independent films.
Wednesday night is now movie
night at the Downstairs. Films by
local artists will be shown at 9:30
and seating is limited to 40 people.
Downstairs co-owner David
Levitt said this is just another way
to add more variety to the club.
“We originally imagined the
Downstairs as more eclectic than
just having bands. We’ve been
doing poetry readings and theater
and there hasn’t been much of a
platform for independent
filmmakers,” Levitt said.
The Downstairs began the series
by showing films by C-00, the com
pany that produced R.E.M.’s
^Tourfilm” video. C-00 is a cooper
ative founded by filmmaker Jim
McKay and R.E.M. vocalist Mi
chael Stipe.
This week’s film is “Just Hold
Still," by New York director Jem
Cohen, which includes appear
ances by R.E.M. and the Wash
ington D.C. hardcore band, Fugazi.
“Public Service Announcements”
by Direct Effect will also be shown.
“I originally wanted a lot of local
people for this, the C-00 thing is
just a good way to get things
started,” Levitt said.
There has already been a good
deal of local interest in this project.
Films by Quinton Philips, Pom Or
chard, George Vest and Sara Essex
have already been scheduled.
WNGM TV 34 plans to show
rare band footage from their ar
chives, as well as a sample of the
“Worst of Locally Produced Com
mercials.”
“People shouldn’t come to these
films expecting the common fare,"
Levitt said. “A lot of people came to
see the films and didn’t know how
to take them. There aren’t any car
chases or sex scenes in these
films,” he said. “Well, there might
be some sex scenes in Jim Her
bert’s film if I know him.”
Herbert is an art professor at the
University who has worked on sev
eral C-00 projects. His film “Car
nival” will be showing in
November, as well as a new film
scheduled to be released by C-00 in
the near future.
The Downstairs has access to
8mm and 16mm projectors and a
TV and VCR to show as many dif
ferent kinds of films as possible.
They encourage all filmmakers to
participate in this program and say
that its success depends on the
amount of response.
People shouldn’t come
to these films
expecting the common
fare
Levitt said,“We’re hoping to con
tinue this, but it depends on how
the people in this town react to it.
HI have to see how many people
get the motivation to do it.”
Junior art m^jor and photogra
pher Peter Frey believes that the
program “is a great idea.”
“It seems that the Downstairs is
the only place in town to show lo
cally produced films," Frey said.
‘There seem to be a lot of people
making films, but you never get to
see them. Hopefully people will use
it."
Davis OKeefc/The tad and Black
The Downstairs Cafe: Plans to show films that fall below
the mainstream to promote local and independent artists.
‘Times 2’: Perhaps danger should be their business instead of music
By MATTHEW LOVING
Contributing Writer
Times 2: “Danger Is My Business”
(EMI)
Is it Easy E, Chaka Khan, or
maybe Wham? Times 2 is a new
duo off the streets of Oakland,
Calif, that’s trying anything to hit
the big time.
In attempt to excuse their irra
tional mix of horrid mimicry, the
band blames their street back-
■ ALBUM REVIEW
ground. John Dollar and Shanti
Jones started out in a small band
together playing Oakland clubs.
The Oakland area must be ex
tremely lacking in identity and
taste, because Times 2 fails to
supply either.
Perhaps the two men were ex
posed to a strange mixture of
reggae, rap and euro-punk. Maybe
there is a way to put those sounds
together, but Times 2 obviously
hasn’t found it.
According to their press release,
Jones has been working at the local
bowling alley in order to avoid
utter starvation, and Dollar is dig
ging graves in his spare time. Their
new album reflects their despera
tion to have a hit on any chart.
The opening song on “Danger Is
My Business” is titled, “Sweet
Jane’s Revenge.” The song has its
moments, but leaves the ear
wanting just a little more than
what is given. The tune begins to
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sound suspiciously similar to a
Crowded House release a§ Dollar
and Jones try their best to har
monize. It might be compared to
one of Michael Penn’s folkish hits,
except that the band hasn’t even
come close to the talent or polished
sound that the public has come to
love about Penn.
The second song, “Set Me Free,”
starts with the all too familiar
sound of a drum machine and
that’s when things begin to fall
apart. The rhythm from the ma
chine resembles something one
might expect to hear at Gresham’s
Disco on Thursday nights around 2
a.m. It’s funny that the band goes
from a song with an almost acous
tical theme to a tune John Travolta
wouldn’t dance to. The lyrics move
to a R&B repetition and are backed
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Win 2 FREE MOVIE PASSES! Watch for
MOVIE MADNESS every week, only in THE
RED & BLACK Just match up the theatres with
the movie titles, clip your completed entry, and
turn it in for the drawing. Only entries received by
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held of correct entries, and winners’ names will
appear in tomorrow's paper! GOOD LUCK!
Free movie passes courtesy ot your local theatres.
All entries due by 5 p.m. today at The Red & Black, 123 N. Jackson St.
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up by a soulish background voice
crying out as if Aretha had visited
the studios and sought part-time
employment. The song is a poor at
tempt to scale the soul charts be
cause it hasn’t got any soul.
With “Goodbye Dirty Senorita,”
the band attempts yet another un
believable, extremely amusing, ut
terly uncreative sound. With a
chorus that resonates of an old
Squeeze song, Jones and Dollar
desperately take one last stab at
the charts and at acquiring a fol
lowing. The lyrics are supposed to
be about a prostitute caught up in
the Spanish Civil War of the ’30s.
The song is thoroughly thoughtless
pop trash.
A quote from John Dollar in the
press release said that he wants to,
“forget about the glamour and rep
resent the unpretentious side of
music.” If the band is going to play
this kind of bop-o-rama mockery,
they might as well concentrate on
the glamour. Look what it did for
the New Kids!
File
Times 2: Shanti (pronounced Shawn-tee) Jones (left) and
John Dollar make a mockery of themselves.
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Sept. 26 -7:30 p.m.
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