When some bands are looking to channel their influences, they intensely study a stack of records. Others concentrate on deriving influence from one or two albums that they find to have the most impact or similarity to what they are trying to sound like. Their goal, of course, is that the feeling and vibe of their favorite classic albums will come through in their own music.
It's no accident that the Apples in Stereo had to add the "Stereo" to their name to avoid sounding too much like the Beatles' record label - with their bright harmonies, catchy guitar hooks and "woah-oh-woah" lyrics, the Apples in Stereo just sound a heck of a lot like the Beatles, period.
What's a drinker to do on a Tuesday night when the pretty young things at McFadden's have turned you down and the tables at 51st State have all filled up? If you're a salt-and-pepper forty-something with a short-term memory problem and a big credit limit, you head down the block to Marshall's, sit near the corner and jump on every group of girls that walks in the place.
Bea, one of the characters in "Breaking and Entering," doesn't understand the concept of metaphors. She should consider herself lucky, because her world is filled with some real clunky ones - not to mention all the awkward similes and inept analogies. Director and writer Anthony Minghella ("Cold Mountain") is making a statement about communication in his film, and from the loaded title on down, he won't stop hitting us over the head with it.
If you have $5 Pocket it and take in some cinema at the Black History Month Film Festival, sponsored by William C. Smith and Co. On Monday at 11 a.m. you can see "Stormy Weather," a 1943 musical featuring Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Cab Calloway and Fats Waller.
February isn't known for being a great month for live shows, but fortunately a lot of great artists are visiting D.C. this month on rare winter tours. Yeah, we're all still sad about missing Justin Timberlake last Friday at the Verizon Center, but luckily there are plenty of shows you can see this month that can take some of the pain away.
Alexi Murdoch has kind of stayed away from the "whole major label thing". That being said, it's not surprising that eight months after the release of his debut album "Time Without Consequence," he's hitting the road on an 18 date tour across the US, including a D.
You could call Oxford Collapse's latest release, Remember the Night Parties, a return to classic indie music. You could call it a big time sound from a small time band. You could indeed call it a party. Call it whatever you want - this group really doesn't care what you think.
Feeling uninformed? Out of the loop? Well get in line to see Outformation, where the insider info says the "Out" is In in a big way. This blossoming gem of American rock'n'roll has been impressing crowds in intimate venues across the country with their blues-infused Southern twang and far out improvisations based on rock solid songwriting.
Vol. 106
An Independent Student Newspaper
Serving The George Washington University Community Since 1904
